Fiyeraba
by LostOzian
Summary: A young orphan in the Emerald City searches for her parents with nothing but a pendant and magical powers to guide her. Postmusical. T eventually. LAST CHAPTER! THE END IS HERE!
1. Sacrifices

**Wicked ain't mine. Don't we all wish we owned Wicked? Then that would mean that we would have been the original Elphaba/G(a)linda/Fiyero/-insert favorite canon character here- because we owned it. The idea of random plot-related dialouge came from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. **

**The greatest gift you can give an author is a review and a favorite'd. Keep reading and writing! -LostOzian**

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_"A baby girl." _

_"Yep."_

_"She's beautiful."_

_"Just like you."_

_"I was afraid that she would be _just _like me."_

_"Well, you learned the hard way that milkflowers have consequences. You placed trust in her."_

_"We can't keep her. You know that, right?"_

_"What?"_

_"We can't keep her."_

_"Why in Oz not?"_

_"We never know where our next meal is coming from. She'd go hungry most nights, maybe starve. It'd be cruel to keep her."_

_"I won't let her starve. I don't eat anymore."_

_"I do, and we barely got by while I was carrying her. Also, imagine her growing up with only us two freaks as parents. What kind of childhood is that?"_

_"Don't call youself a freak."_

_"I doesn't matter if I do. We're the only people in our little world."_

_"But you've wanted this for years. You can't just give it up."_

_"I wanted Nessa alive to see this, too. I wanted to be renowned throughout Oz, I wanted degreenification. It's just another dream I'll live without."_

_"She should at least know who her parents are."_

_"Slim chance of that. She's barely a few hours old."_

_"I'll give her my birth pendant."_

_"That'll give us away."_

_"No, it won't. Remember how nobody used your name after the night you met the Wizard? Nobody talks about Fiyero Tiggular anymore, either."_

_"Glinda will find out."_

_"By the time that happens, our girl will have had some time to grow up. And then we can try to find her again."_

_"I'll go tomorrow night. To the Emerald City. That's probably the safest place for her."_

_"Is it safe for_ you_?"_

_"I'll blend right in with the walls. Don't look at me like that, I was kidding. And I'll let nobody see my face. I'd risk it for her."_

_"I love you, and our baby girl."_

_"I love you, too. Let me do it."_

_"OzSpeed, and safe mission."_

_"Lucky stars be with her."_

_"And with you."_

* * *

The rain hammered into the street as a pair of heavy black boots ran to desperate safety, clutching a bundle of black cloth to her chest. Cursing that she had to use her cloak for the baby, she reached a doorway, panting from the effort of running. Quickly, she arranged her black hair over her face in a tangled curtain and banged on the door forcefully. She had just enough time to bow her head and hide her face as an elderly matron opened it. 

"By Oz, my child! You're soaked through! Come in, come in!" The drenched woman was about to be pulled inside when she thrust the cloth bundle into the matron's arms.

"I can't keep her," The woman insisted upon staying out in the cold. "She's mine, but I can't keep her. Never take away her necklace. It was her father's." The elderly woman turned the bundle, finally finding a tiny baby's face. She was asleep, a tiny hand clutching at a worn gold chain. The woman was speaking hurriedly now, her words slurred by the freezing rain.

"I don't know if she'll be trouble. If she is, it'll only be when she's mad," The matron tried to bring her inside, but a gloved hand swatted her arm aside. She drew back in surprise. A woman as soaked as she must be in desperate need of a warm fire; why only give ther the baby?

"But love her. Please, love her. Her name is-" Shouts were heard further down the street; an alert, commands to split up. She bolted back out into the street, checking both ways quickly and finally disappearing into the night. The matron turned back to the baby, pulling the chain out as the girl held on to it in sleep. On the end was a gold pendant with five precious stones set into it. Three small gems lined up at the bottom; a ruby, amethyst, and sapphire, and one at the top, a little emerald. There was one large stone in the center, far larger than the others; a bright yellow topaz.

The matron looked up again. Who was that woman? And why did her baby have such a precious necklace if she couldn't be kept? The matron fingered the gold setting of the five stones, flipping it over as she felt something engraved on the back. The tiny, faded letters could still be read in the dim candlelight.

_Fiyero Tiggular_

_29th of April, 4__th__ Year of the Wizard_

_May His Land Prosper Forever_

"You!" A man shouted. The matron looked up. "Who was that woman? What did she want?" The speaker appeared in the doorway, a large burly man from the Emerald City police. The matron hugged the baby closer, fearing she would be taken away by the police for some reason.

"She brought a child to my care." The matron deftly tucked the necklace back into the bundle, unnoticed by the policeman. "You can't question a baby, and all I know is that it is my duty to care for all lost children, regardless of who brought them."

"Did you see that woman's face?" The man demanded, more of an order than a question. The matron blinked. That was the strangest part of it; the woman had tried to hide her face deliberately, and refused to be brought inside and cared for.

"No, officer." She said truthfully. "I didn't see her face." The man grimaced, but left her. He shouted an order to other policemen, and was gone. The matron turned back to the little baby, thinking of the woman who had left her before she could say the baby's name. 'Fiyero' was a boy's name. Her father's name. But who was the mother?

"What to call you," She murmered to the sleeping child. 'Fiyero' meant 'honesty', a good trait, but she couldn't name the girl after her father.

"I know," She said at last, remembering how boys names were made into girl's names. "Fiyera..." But that sounded like it needed something more. After a long pause, she found the right add-on.

"...Fiyeraba."


	2. Happenings

**-Insert something along the lines of 'Wicked belongs to Gregory Maguire and not me' here-**

* * *

Fiyeraba watched the other orphans running, fighting, playing, and generally making a ruckus disdainfully. She played with her pendant absently, her fingers recognizing each stone as she felt it. The amethyst. The ruby. The sapphire. The emerald. The topaz. And repeat. She leaned against the wall, her thin cot the last in a row of about seven. Distractedly, she counted all the cots in the large room. _Forty-seven,_ she thought. _I'm one of forty-seven. But I have a family outside of these morons._ She turned over the pendant, tracing the carefully engraved words with a finger. That was her father. He was a land-owner. The fourth Year of the Wizard was about thirty years ago, including the thirteen years when the Years of Glinda began, almost keeping time with her birth. He would be in his mid-thirties. She closed her eyes, imagining the grand house he must live in. No, not a house. A castle! He'd have a castle, and she would have a bedroom in the tallest tower, and survey his lands every morning when the sun came up and right before it set. And a wife, he must have a wife, too. She would be a beautiful person, kind and gentle and hiding candies in her skirt for Fiyeraba to find, despite Fiyeraba's notion she was getting to old for games like that.. They would laugh and play, and have fun together. It was all so beautiful, like it couldn't exist anywhere but in a dream. 

"Fiyeraba!" A small voice said. Fiyeraba opened her eyes and glanced down at the edge of her bed. Grinnie was sitting on the floor again, her face faint with the ghost of a smile even as she sat on the floor, helpless.

"Fiyeraba, I fell again!" She announced proudly, smoothing brown hair out of her face. Fiyeraba swung herself off of her bed and in front of her friend. Grinnie held her hands up for Fiyeraba to hold her. She picked Grinnie up, her wiry frame giving more strength than thought possible, placing the small girl on her feet. Grinnie wobbled a little bit, but finally let go of Fiyeraba's shoulders, standing on her own. She took a shaky step forward to hug Fiyeraba.

"Thank you!" She said cheerily, breaking out into a full grin. Her teeth were perfect and pearly, forming the adorable smile was what melted Fiyeraba's heart every time Grinnie needed help.

"Try not to fall too often when Lady Glinda's here," Fiyeraba warned, pulling a book out from the small trunk that held all of her personal belongings. "Then again, fall all you need. Then she might notice and be able to get you real help." Grinnie's smile wavered.

"No! Fiyeraba!" She took a few awkward steps toward her, unbending knees bumping into the edge of the bed. Fiyeraba had to catch her again. "You've always been the one who help me!"

"Grinnie," Fiyeraba said, not letting Grinnie go right away. "I don't know how to fix your legs. Lady Glinda could find someone who knows how to fix legs." Grinnie shook her head.

"You've been here longer than I have, Fiyeraba. You should get your miracle first." Fiyeraba tried to keep from making a face. Twelve years in the orphanage, with only the day she arrived as a birthday. Grinnie had arrived five years ago when she was three, dragging herself through the streets with bloody legs from where her birth father had whipped her daily. Her legs never worked the same as any of the other children; she hobbled, couldn't bend her knees normally, and needed Fiyeraba to help her get in and out of bed. Who knew an eight-year-old could be so much trouble? But still, they had their dreams; Fiyeraba's was that her father would finally find her; Grinnie's was that someone would be able to make her legs work again. Their little miracle. Their dream to have come true.

Fiyeraba let Grinnie stand again and flung herself back on her bed with her book. She had read it exactly twenty-three times. _Make that twenty-four…_ She thought as she cracked the spine to page one again, letting her long black hair fall in a curtain around her and the book to block out everyone else. She barely read a paragraph before Matron Helene opened the door and banged on the cracked wall for the children's attention. Everybody rushed to clean up and stand in front of their beds. Fiyeraba joined them. The one thing Helene ever punished you for was failing to quiet down when she needed your attention. Otherwise, she was a maternal saint.

"Children!" She called out, her voice warm and motherly. She could never turn anyone away. "Darlings, Lady Glinda should be here any minute. I need you all quiet and doing things good children do when she gets here. You all know what good children do, don't you?"

"Yes, Helene!" the little voices chorused. Grinnie had her best smile on, wide and shining. So did Vrinol, standing directly across from Fiyeraba and three beds down from Grinnie. He was staring at the tiny girl, his smile more of a wolfish grin with a few teeth showing. Fiyeraba knew what he was thinking about.

"A good child wouldn't touch her." Fiyeraba said to him lowly, her face in anything but a smile. Vrinol's parents were both dead, everybody knew it. His father had died of a sickness, and his mother committed suicide after leaving him at the orphanage. He was about fourteen, one of the oldest here. It was rare for an orphan to grow up without being adopted, but with each passing day Vrinol's chances of being taken from the orphanage by a loving family lessened. One of the more tragic stories the orphanage had seen.

"Shut up," He said to her. "Or that pretty necklace goes in the gutter tonight." Fiyeraba snatched at the pendant just to make sure it was still around her neck. She stuffed it in her ill-fitting frock quickly, the heavy gold settling in the middle of her chest. Vrinol smirked. Helene disappeared through the door, and immediately the dull roar started again. Fiyeraba scanned the room quickly, wondering how many people were doing things good children did. She pulled her book out again, flipping to the first page. She kept and ear out for Grinnie's voice. All she had to do was shout and she would be safe, she knew it. Minutes passed, and Fiyeraba started to lose herself in the epic struggles of Sire Uptaen, when suddenly Fiyeraba heard the sound she had been waiting for.

"Help!" Grinnie cried. Fiyeraba snapped her book shut and looked up. Vrinol had Grinnie by her arms, standing on his bed, dangling her above the ground as two friends pinched and scratched at her legs. The mishealed limbs twitched, and Grinnie hurt, but she couldn't kick them away. Several spectators were laughing at the scene, congratulating Vrinol on this new trick. Fiyeraba sprang into action, forcing her way through to Grinnie, but three, four, no, five, others held her back deliberately. She kicked, clawed, bit, but they held tight. She felt her anger building, like sparks from a fire igniting her soul.

"LET HER GO!" She shouted at last, the fire loosed upon the room. The tight not of children was blasted apart, leaving Grinnie floating in the air unsuspended for a moment. Fiyeraba opened her arms below the small girl, catching her at the right moment as she fell. Silence filled the room, broken by Grinnie's sobs; the only time she wasn't smiling was when she had just been bullied.

"Grinnie, Grinnie, its okay, they're not going to hurt you anymore," Fiyeraba murmured as he hugged Grinnie close. "Grinnie, I'm so sorry I didn't see them sooner…" Grinnie pulled away slightly, then pointed toward the door with a shaking finger. Fiyeraba looked up. Helene was standing in the doorway, looking disapprovingly at Fiyeraba, but there was someone else. Fiyeraba set Grinnie down gently and stood up straight, ashamed at what she had just done.

Lady Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, had just seen her lose her temper.


	3. Parentage

**Um...The Powers That Be have decided that Gregory Maguire owns Wicked. I tried to file for an appeal, but I have no idea where you mail paperwork to spiritual dieties. Especially ones I don't really follow.**

**Sorry about the long post delay. Apparently, 'The Chatroom' violated rules of Fanfiction in being a chatroom script. I kind of get their point, a script is not a story. I might try to post again with story-like elements if you want me to. Tell me if you want me to. -LostOzian**

* * *

"Come with me, please." Helene said to Fiyeraba, before turning to the rest of the orphanage. "And if anyone dares to harm any other child, I swear, by Oz, they _will_ be punished!" Helene looked like she meant it, her usually soft eyes glaring out into the room full of children. No way would anyone break that new rule, not ever Vrinol. Fiyeraba walked through the door slowly, the slow walk of one about to die. Helene shut the door behind her, Glinda watching her intently the whole way. 

"I am very disappointed in you," Helene said concernedly. She never truly scolded; she worried, and made you feel so guilty you never wronged her again. "I know you consider Grinella in your charge, but you have to know to control your emotions!"

"They were hurting her," Fiyeraba said softly, choosing to stare at her shoes, wiggling her pinkie toe through a hole in the thoroughly used and two-sizes-too-large boots. "They always hurt her. Because she's weak. She's different." Fiyeraba could feel Glinda's stare, avoiding the Good Witch's eyes as her shame increased tenfold. What would Glinda do about her? Did she reflect poorly on the orphanage? Helene shook her head slowly, not yet buying Fiyeraba's explination. "I'm sorry," Fiyeraba added, hoping it would help. Suddenly, Fiyeraba could see Glinda's silk-white skirt hem on the floor move closer to her. She looked up, Glinda's clear blue eyes kind.

"Hello," She said softly. Fiyeraba could only stare. "What's you're name?"

"Fi-Fiyeraba," She said. Glinda blinked, her bubbly demeanor broken for a minute. Glinda probably wanted to know which one was the problem child, which one should never get adopted, but stay in the care of Helene forever. "I'm named after my father!" Fiyeraba said hurriedly, hoping that it would endear her situation to Glinda if she knew that Fiyeraba had a proper father, someone waiting for the right time to take her away. She pulled the necklace out of her dress and held it out for Glinda to see.

"That's very pretty," Glinda said gently. She was studying the necklace carefully, trying to keep recognition out of her eyes. Fiyeraba shook her head.

"That's not all! It belonged to my father!" Fiyeraba turned it over for Glinda to read the spindly engraving. "He'll come for me someday. We'll live together as soon as he finds me." Fiyeraba couldn't stop herself babbling on, trying to make Glinda see that she didn't belong in the orphanage, that she should be kept for her proper family to find her. "And he probably lives in a castle, with a beautiful wife and-" Glinda dropped the necklace abruptly, standing up to face Helene.

"Could we speak?" She asked formally. Fiyeraba tucked the necklace back in her dress. She had done it now. Glinda probably thought she was delusional now, in need of a mental hospital instead of a family. All of her proof of having a family did nothing in the end. Helene nodded, opening the door again for Fiyeraba to join the other children.

Every single face watched her as she walked between the rows of beds. Grinnie had worked her way into a sitting position on her bed, eyes filled with tears for Fiyeraba. She bent down by the little girl's bed briefly.

"Fiyeraba, what will Helene do to you?" Grinnie asked nervously.

"I don't know," Fiyeraba said truthfully, her fears foreboding over her words. "Lady Glinda asked to talk to Helene, and this isn't the first time I've made things happen…" Grinnie stared at Fiyeraba, her eyes large and fearful. "I…don't think I'll get my miracle anymore, though." Grinnie sniffed, her ever-present smile for once a frown. Fiyeraba straightened and pulled her book out of her trunk, curling up in the corner her bed was shoved into. Everybody continued to stare at her. The minutes passed with agonizing slowness as Fiyeraba pretended to read, ignoring the forty-six other faces. She was too nervous to actually read. What was Glinda asking Helene about? What would happen to her? What would happen to Grinnie if she was sent to a mental hospital? Could children even go to mental hospitals?

Ages later, the door opened again. Helene stared straight at Fiyeraba, motioning for her to come. Fiyeraba could see Glinda in the background, smoothing out the remains of a shocked expression. _I'm in for it now._ Fiyeraba thought with every step. _I'm in for it. I'm in for it._ Helene closed the door again, this time leaving Glinda and Fiyeraba alone in the tiny hallway.

"I'm not a problem child," she blurted out after a nerve-raking second. "Things only happen when I get really, really, mad, and I'll try harder to-"

"It's not a big deal, Fiyeraba." Glinda said soothingly. "I had a friend that did the same whenever she got angry." Fiyeraba blinked. So she wasn't alone?

"I just got the story of how you arrived at this orphanage from Matron Helene," Glinda continued. "And I'm sorry to tell you, I know for a fact your father is dead." Fiyeraba's hand flew to her chest where the pendant rested under her dress. "Fiyero Tiggular was my fiancée while he was alive." Fiyeraba's eyes widened.

"So…so are _you_ my mother?" She asked, amazed. Was she the daughter of Glinda the Good?! She would get her miracle after all! Glinda shook her head, ghosts of tears collecting at the edges of made-up eyes.

"No, we never got married. I've never had a baby." Fiyeraba's heart fell. She took the necklace out of her dress again. Fiyero Tiggular was dead. The man that would have plucked her from her nightmares and made her dreams come true didn't exist anymore.

"Why didn't you get married?" She asked. Glinda crouched down next to Fiyeraba, the pearly silk spreading out around her ankles.

"He never loved me, but I didn't want to admit to it. Our engagement was a surprise to him; I tried to make it in public so he couldn't say no." Glinda smiled slightly. "Turns out he was in love with the friend that made things happen when she was mad."

"Is...your friend my mother?" Fiyeraba asked gently. This was so confusing. Glinda _would_ have gotten married to her father, but her father loved her mother? Then why had her father still been with Glinda?

"Yes, I'm sure of that now. Fiyeraba, do you know the story of the Witch of the West?" Fiyeraba looked up.

"Yeah," She said, the old stories of what it was like to live in her shadow of fear returning to her. "But what does she have to do with me? She's dead, too."

"Fiyeraba, the Witch was a good friend of mine for a long time, _long _before she became the Witch." Fiyeraba noticed how Glinda avoided the word 'wicked'. Practically reading her mind, Glinda added, "In fact, she wasn't wicked at all. People hated her, and the Wizard tricked her into using her powers to make winged spies for him."

"Powers?" Fiyeraba asked. Glinda nodded.

"The fact you can make things happen when you get angry is a signal," Glinda said. "It means that you can use magic. You could be a sorceress."


	4. Inheritance

**Um...The Powers That Be have decided that Gregory Maguire owns Wicked. I tried to file for an appeal, but I have no idea where you mail paperwork to spiritual dieties. Especially ones I don't really follow.**

* * *

"A…a sorceress?" Fiyeraba said at last. She had magic? Powers like Glinda?

Powers like the Witch… The dream darkened.

"There's no shame, Fiyeraba." Glinda said, seeing Fiyeraba's happiness falter. "She was my best friend, and a good person. The Wizard created her as a monster with lies and propaganda." Fiyeraba still couldn't believe it. She was the daughter of a terrorist? Was she going to turn out like her mother, a terrible fear-monger? No, she wouldn't ever do something like that. She couldn't. Could she?

"Tell me more about Fiyero," Fiyeraba clutched her necklace tightly for support. Her mother may have been evil, but her father…her father was good, wasn't he? Then why did he fall in love with _her_? Glinda sat down in a rickety chair in the hall as Fiyeraba slid down the wall next to her.

"He smiled a lot," Glinda said. "Regal, always first to start to dance to the music. He was a great dancer." Glinda looked down at Fiyeraba. "Still, you resemble Elphaba far more than him."

"Elphaba?" Fiyeraba looked up.

"Your mother's name. It's quite ironic your name sounds like thiers put together." No. Not back to the Witch. Fiyeraba shook her head again.

"No, tell me about Fiyero!" Fiyeraba said, feeling herself getting angry. She didn't want to hear about the Witch, the horrible Witch she was somehow related to. Glinda felt the little girl's denial. She wondered if this was how Elphaba would have felt if she found out the Wizard was her father.

"He was always kind," she said, abiding by Fiyeraba's wishes for a little while. "And he could always tell what was right and wrong." Fiyeraba wrestled with that information for a moment. He could always tell what was right…so he thought the Witch was right? She couldn't have been right. "Though there's one last thing you should know about Fiyero," Glinda said, holding out her hand. Fiyeraba knew she wanted to see the necklace again. She let the Good Witch hold it, but its long chain stayed around her neck. Glinda positioned it so that the emerald was at the top for Fiyeraba to see.

"These colors are for the providences of Oz," She pointed at the small gems at the bottom. "The blue is for Munchkinland, the red is for the Quadling country, the purple is for the Gillikin, and the green is for the Emerald City and the center of Oz." She let one finger rest on the large topaz. "Fiyero was the _prince_ of the Vinkus. That's why the yellow one is so big."

"May his land prosper," Fiyeraba recited from memory. "So his land was going to be the whole of the Vinkus, when he was king?!" Fiyeraba stared at the topaz. She was a princess. Her father was going to be king, her mother-

-was a witch. That never changed, no matter what Fiyeraba was. Princess, gifted with magic, but her mother would always be that terrible Witch. Fiyeraba felt the joy flood out of her. She pulled the chain back, holding it close to her like some sort of charm against her parentage.

"Fiyeraba, your mother was not wicked. I will tell you that until you believe it. She was not wicked." Glinda looked at her with such sincerity that Fiyeraba could only hope the Good Witch didn't know what she was talking about, even though believed it with all her heart.

"When I first met her at Shiz University, she was an unpopular freak. Everybody hated her for one reason: she was green." Fiyeraba remembered that one detail well. The one thing that made the Witch as twisted and inhuman as the deeds she did. "She had a younger sister, Nessarose, who-"

"Wicked Witch of the East," Fiyeraba interrupted.

"Yes, but I'm not finished." Glinda said gently. It was all too natural for a child growing up in the aftermath of Elphaba's life to abide by such propaganda. "Nessarose was crippled from birth, confined to a chair with wheels. Elphaba had been assigned to help her by her father. She was considered more of a servant than a daughter; it was Nessarose that got all of the attention." Fiyeraba blinked. That was almost what her relationship with Grinnie was like. Grinnie was helpless without Fiyeraba. Nessarose had been helpless without her sister. Was she destined to follow in her mother's footsteps, right down to who she knew and cared about?

"There was a lot of confusion, and because of a misunderstanding, I became her roommate." Fiyeraba started. Roommates?!

"What were you like then?" Fiyeraba asked. Glinda laughed softly.

"I wouldn't like myself then, not being who I am now. I was the shallow, self-centered, air-headed Galinda Upland, hateful of everyone different from her." Glinda looked off into the distance, reminiscent of the times spent at school. "Knowing Elphaba changed all of that for good." Fiyeraba wrinkled her forehead. Maybe her mother had grown to be wicked, and Glinda didn't know her then. Yes, Glinda was friends with her and her father fell in love and _then _she became a wicked witch.

"Was…was there ever a time when you two fell out of touch?" Fiyeraba asked. Glinda looked at her.

"Yes, right after she was labeled a Wicked Witch by the Wizard. She had to run for her life." Fiyeraba could feel her grounds shaking. Glinda knew her mother right up until the moment she became wicked. "Then I met with her again right before I thought she died."

"But she did die," Fiyeraba said. Glinda shook her head.

"How old are you, Fiyeraba?" Glinda asked.

"About twelve, twelve and a half." Fiyeraba answered.

"Elphaba has been thirteen years dead," Glinda pointed out. Fiyeraba looked down at her necklace again. She was born after the Witch died, yet it was the only explination to her existance. The Witch wasn't dead. "Fiyero kept that marker of his birth with him at all times. He had it with him right up until he left me."

"Before the Witch became wicked?" Fiyeraba asked hopefully. Glinda shook her head.

"He had devoted his life to searching for her after Elphaba was forced to leave her life behind. He found her one night, and left with her." Glinda said, before going back to her story. "So Elphaba might have gotten the necklace after _he_ died, but gave it to you so you would know who your father was." Fiyeraba picked at the hole in her shoe.

"Why would Fiyero run away to a wicked witch over you?" Fiyeraba asked. Glinda chewed the thought over for a moment.

"I don't think there was ever a minute when she was wicked," Glinda said. "All of her life, she had dreamed of meeting the Wizard. Then when she finally did get the chance to meet him, it turns out he was a fraud and needed to use her to stay in power."

"The Wizard was a fraud?!" Fiyeraba sat up on her knees. The man the adults always talked so reverently of, always added a little prayer for at every meal, was a fraud?!

"Not only that," Glinda said, blinking back small tears. "Where the Wizard came from, all Animals were silent. He was using cages to force Animals to be silent, the only ones intelligent enough to see what was going on. The people were to blinded by his tricks and masks." Fiyeraba stared at the opposite wall. "That's why Elphaba declared herself an enemy of the Wizard. She didn't believe in all of that."

"So," She began. "I'm the daughter of a perceived Wicked Witch and a dead prince?" Fiyeraba checked. Glinda nodded slowly.

"That just about sums it up," she said. Fiyeraba smiled ruefully. Funny how life threw things at you some days.


	5. Departure

**Disclaimer: Today's daily double... This person is the owner of Wicked. -Buzzer- Who is Gregory Maguire, aka, _not LostOzian?_ -ding sound- That's correct! **

**Phoo on Alex... Okay, filler chapter, I'm sorry. But there's more plot coming. Pinkie promise. If...a computer...can have...a pinkie...yeah.**

**Keep reading and writing! -LostOzian**

* * *

There was a quick knock on the door, followed by the telltale creak of the door opening. Glinda and Fiyeraba looked up to see Helene poking her head in the hallway. 

"Excuse me, Lady Glinda? Are you done?" Helene said. "I've told the other children all I need to." Glinda nodded, before shocking Fiyeraba completely.

"Matron, would it be all right if I brought Fiyeraba back to the palace with me to continue this discussion?" Matron looked at Fiyeraba, secret pride shining in her eyes.

"That's fine, Lady Glinda." Matron said. "Should I be expecting Fiyeraba to return?" Glinda studied Fiyeraba for a moment.

"No," she said at last. "We have so much to do; Fiyeraba probably won't be coming back." Fiyeraba could barely believe it. This was her miracle. She would be getting out of the orphanage, her dream coming true-

-which reminded her of another girl with one desperate dream. She folded her arms defiantly.

"I won't go without Grinnie," she said, looking Glinda in the eyes. She had beautiful eyes, crystal blue like a frozen lake. "You saw how the other orphans treat her. She'd never make it without me." Glinda nodded understandingly.

"Your mother wouldn't have left a weak one in the way of harm, either." Glinda said. Helene looked at her in surprise.

"Her mother?" Helene had considered that the greatest mystery among Fiyeraba's many puzzles: Who had her mother been?

"Yes, I can safefully say I have determined Fiyeraba's parentage." Glinda said. "Which is why I must take her with me, and Grinnie as well." Helene took Fiyeraba in a sweeping hug.

"Oh, Fiyeraba, this is so wonderful!" she exclaimed. Fiyeraba hugged back, feeling like nothing more could go wrong in Oz. Glinda stood, smiling at the elderly matron.

"Well, I'm to make an appearance here, aren't I?" She said happily. "I'd like to see the other children." Helene nodded, taking Fiyeraba's hand in hers and leading Glinda into the room all the orphans shared. Fiyeraba stepped to the side, letting Glinda take the full force of the crowd of little faces. The Queen of Oz seemed well accustomed to it, taking ones in her arms for a few minutes while bestowing little favors- hand touches, wiping dirt off a face- on the others before switching the one she was holding. Fiyeraba noticed Grinnie at the back of the crowd, trying to get in a good position that would get her noticed right away if she fell. Scooping up the little girl quickly, Fiyeraba moved to the back of the large room.

"Fiyeraba, I want to meet Lady Glinda!" Grinnie protested with a smile, but Fiyeraba had good news to share.

"You'll meet her. We're going back to the palace with her. I'm sorry I scared you before, but I didn't know what was going to happen." Grinnie was too shocked even to smile. Fiyeraba started rambling, as if the amazing things about to happen to her would only come true if she said them all as fast as possible.

"Turns out Glinda knew my parents, and my father's dead, but my mother's alive, but she's the Wicked Witch of the West and can't come and get me, and because she's my mother I have magic powers, and I could be a sorceress, which is why Glinda needs me to come back to the palace to test me, but I wouldn't leave you alone because of how they bully you, and she'll let me take you along!" Fiyeraba drew a long breath, trying to keep herself from panting.

"We're…going with her?" Grinnie asked. Fiyeraba nodded; glad she didn't have to speak again. Grinnie beamed, a truly wonderful sight; like getting a good view of a rainbow. "Now, Fiyeraba," she said. "Tell me again why we're leaving, but slow down." Fiyeraba flushed slightly at her excitement, but placed Grinnie on her bed in the corner and explained the connections between Glinda, her mother, and her father, what little she knew of her aunt, the strange powers, and how Glinda had offered to take her back to the palace to unravel more mysteries about her parentage and new talent. Grinnie seemed to accept this news rather well, having not yet fully understood why one person could be so hated and feared by everybody.

Glinda got in her full visit, making sure that every orphan told her their name and whatever sad story they wanted to share, and at the same time giving Fiyeraba plenty of time to talk to Grinnie. Turning to Helene, she asked to see various important papers; the bills, files of who gave money and food to the orphanage, the waiting list for new toys, clothes, and little things most other children took for granted. The other orphans, in the absence of Glinda and Helene, turned to Fiyeraba.

"What did Glinda talk to you about?"

"Did she know why you make weird things happen?"

"What's she gonna do to you?"

"Will you get punished for getting mad again?"

Fiyeraba tried to answer as few of these questions as possible; not every child would understand her relation to the Witch. _Or Elphaba…_Fiyeraba was coming to realize that she should call her own mother by her proper name. 'Elphaba' sounded nice; mixing well with the irony she was called Fiyeraba. _Fiyer_o. Elph_aba_. _Fiyeraba_.

"The one thing I know for sure," Fiyeraba told them all. "Is that I'm going with her. I won't be coming back here." Fiyeraba put one arm around Grinnie as well. "And neither is Grinnie." Several protests resounded in the room.

"Grinnie?!"

"She's barely eight! I'm thirteen!"

"Why not take me, Filerabe? I'm your friend!" Fiyeraba started sorting through her things, making room to put Grinnie meager possessions in with hers.

"No. Grinnie's the one who's coming with me," she said decisively. "She needs her miracle as much as I do."

Glinda and Helene returned with Glinda's arms full of papers to be sorted and acted upon. Fiyeraba smiled at the Good Witch.

"Ready?" Glinda asked. Fiyeraba nodded, dragging her now shared chest after her as Grinnie hobbled in her wake before being relieved of walking by Helene. The small procession led down the rickety stairwell and out into the street, where a decorative green carriage and a pair of white horses stood ready for Glinda. As Fiyeraba loaded the trunk in the back, Helene set Grinnie down.

"Fiyeraba!" Grinnie grabbed onto the carriage, using it to hold herself up. "We're going back to the palace with Lady Glinda! Isn't it wonderful?" Fiyeraba picked Grinnie up herself, skillfully climbing into the carriage cabin without setting her down.

"Probably the best thing that's ever happened to us," she whispered, but Glinda heard her. The Queen of Oz said nothing, however, lost in thought about when the best thing that ever happened to Elphaba came to pass. Adding a little prayer that this occasion years later would not end the same way, Glinda entered the carriage gracefully and motioned for the driver to start back to the palace.


	6. Restrictions

**Disclaimer: Let's see...Who can tell me if I own Wicked? Nobody, because it's not true. I may continue to delude myself, but it won't help when the lawyers come. I still think that if enough people said I owned Wicked, it would be true, but that would only work if everybody wanted _me_ to own Wicked. Otherwise they would do it themselves. On to the story! **

**The greatest honor you can give an author is a review and a favorite'd. -LostOzian**

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Approaching the palace, it was the most spectacular thing either girl had ever seen. Its tall green spires reached for the sky like long fingers, shining slightly in the afternoon sunlight. The aged bronze fence flashed past as Fiyeraba tried to get a good look in each of the windows. All she was able to recognize was different shades of green paint or wallpaper, ranging from a flourescent lime to deep forest depending on the purpose of the room. She would have to remember to ask Glinda exactly what shade her mother's skin had been. 

The intricate green gates swept aside to allow the carriage in the courtyard. Fiyeraba and Grinnie had never seen the gleaming tourist side of the Emerald City before; Helene had forbidden individual outings for the orphan's own safety, and now seeing the glamour life could hold felt almost surreal to the two. Glinda spoke commandingly to the guards standing by the door.

"Bring their trunk to one of the guest rooms near my apartments, please," she moved to retrieve the chest herself, only to have one of the guards do it for her. Glinda had made it a habit to do as much as she could by herself so she wouldn't fall into a luxurious haze and forget who had died for her to be here. She glanced at Fiyeraba assisting Grinnie out of the carriage.

_Rather, who had _staged_ her death…_Fiyeraba was proof that Elphaba wasn't dead, or at least didn't die in Kiamo Ko thirteen years ago. She felt less angry than she knew she should be; it was more like the same feeling that she had in the tower when Elphaba had finally freed herself from the Wizard's lies only to become public enemy number one. It had been for the better. Grinnie twisted around in circles, trying to take in everything about the palace without falling over. They _were_ exactly like Elphaba and Nessa. Fiyeraba had the same elder sister maturity, keeping herself strict and serious so that Grinnie could act like a little girl. Pushing open one of the large doors, Glinda smiled at the two girls.

"Ready?" she asked. Fiyeraba looked back to the carriage to see if anyone expected her to carry the trunk. _The way Elphaba would…_Grinnie rushed toward Glinda, stopping at the first step. Trying to lift one leg up the small step, she lost her balance and began to fall back. Fiyeraba, watching her, was ready and caught her before she could fall too far.

"Grinnie, make sure I'm looking before you try to climb stairs," Fiyeraba reminded as she lifted Grinnie, placing her on her hip. Grinnie was only about six or seven inches shorter than Fiyeraba, but her scrawny legs made it easier for Fiyeraba to carry her. Glinda bit the inside of her lip at the sentimentality as she led the two to the throne room. There was one issue that should be taken care of right now.

Fiyeraba set Grinnie down the instant they were inside. She could feel something else in the room…a kind of imprint, like when someone puts their finger in clay. It was emotions, blends of feelings. Hope and excitement, with a hint nervous. She followed the trail into the throne room. The anxiety became more intense, when suddenly the trail stopped altogether. Fear radiated from the spot where Fiyeraba was standing.

"Fiyeraba, are you all right?" Grinnie followed after her.

"Can't…you feel it?" Fiyeraba looked back, the panic growing as something had approached whoever stood there. Grinnie blinked at her.

"I don't feel anything," she said, just as Fiyeraba heard a ghostly coherent voice in the clamor of sensations.

_"Ah...Elphaba Thropp, your Terribleness!"_ she could barely hear it, but it had been such an effort to conquer the fear that it left a deep mark for Fiyeraba to find. Her eyes widened in realization at what was happening. She could feel traces of where her mother had been and what had taken place.

Instantly, she began running in a pattern of where her mother had stood, following the imprint's lines. Anywhere Elphaba had set foot in the throne room was precious to her daughter. Fear faded into confusion as the large something retreated. Then hope again as she found that…he wanted to help her. She stood for a moment, concentrating on who 'he' was. Her father?

_The _Wizard_, not Fiyero…She met the Wizard here…_ Fiyeraba found just as Glinda approached her with a large dusty book.

"I know it's exciting, Fiyeraba, but if you don't stop running around we'll never get anything done," she placed one hand on Fiyeraba's shoulder. Jerked out of the memories, she looked at Glinda. Glinda wouldn't have expected her to be able to feel her mother's past. Fiyeraba decided not to tell her.

"What's that?" Fiyeraba pointed at the book. Glinda opened it to a page full of thin, spidery writing, faded with age.

"The Grimmerie, the ancient spell book." Glinda held it out for Fiyeraba to take as the girl peered at the lines of writing. "If you can read it, don't start. When Elphaba first read from it, she hadn't intended for anything bad to happen," Glinda looked down, Chistery's screams still fresh in her mind. That coupled with the horror on Elphaba's face still woke her up at night. "And bad things did happen." Fiyeraba took the book and sank to the floor, feeling in trail of memories for when Elphaba had read from it.

"I thought of a much more harmless test for you," Glinda set a small candle in front of Fiyeraba. She looked up at Glinda, who had taken the Grimmerie and was flipping it to another page.

"This should be a fire spell," Glinda scooted back. "Try not to read it too enthusiastically; we could all go up if you're more talented than I thought."

_"What funny writing…" _The echo said, and Fiyeraba smiled. The girl could feel the levitation spell echoing in her head. It felt so right here, she could read the spell from her mother's memory. Looking down at the page, Fiyeraba felt the letters seem to shift on the page. They no longer seemed strange, they seemed…familiar…Softly, she read the new spell, pausing one or twice to make sure she was going to say the next word right. The wick in the candle started to smoke, shimmer, and then light with a steady orange flame. Grinnie squealed in delight at this display of magic, clapping her hands in delight. Glinda smiled approvingly.

"Elphaba would be proud," she said. Fiyeraba shut the book and blew out the candle. A small puff of shimmering gray smoke accompanied the wispy trail.

"Since I'm alive, she's alive." Fiyeraba said simply. "We need to find her." Glinda started, picking up the candle.

"We can't do that!" Glinda said. "We have no idea where she is, or even if she survived after the melting! It's been thriteen years, Fiyeraba. _Years_! Dead or alive, she's gone for good," Fiyeraba stood angrily, meeting the Good Witch's eyes again. Glinda was only a few inches taller than her.

"Why can't we?" Fiyeraba demanded. "She's your best friend! Don't you want to see her?" Glinda sighed, setting down the candle.

"Of course I do," Glinda said. "But it's too dangerous. We can't risk her like that." Fiyeraba held out the book sullenly, watching Glinda place it back on a table podium. She took a few more steps, feeling her mother's trail. _…There._

A dark, out-of-the-way door stared Fiyeraba in the face. She knew her mother ran that way, with something not belonging to her and the shock of what had just happened to her. _"You can't read this book at all! Can you?"_ Elphaba had demanded of the Wizard._ "That's why you need enemies, and cages, and spies. You have no real power." _And she ran off with the same spell book Glinda had her read out of, and had escaped…

A plan started to form together. With or without Glinda's help, she would find her mother.


	7. Reflections

**Disclaimer: Um...Not mine...and...ah...D'arvit! I don't have anymore witty things to say! This is a sad day... KINGS DOMINION! Off to King's Dominion, for the evil institute known as school has released us from its tyrannical grasp for eight short weeks. But that means I may not post tomorrow. So enjoy this chapter.**

**Read, Review, Favorite if it's worthy! I love people who do! -LostOzian**

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Glinda didn't need more proof of Fiyeraba's abilities, and in her current mood, Fiyeraba wasn't about to give her any. Instead, the Good Witch let Grinnie and Fiyeraba retire to the guest room to sort out their belongings; they weren't going back to the orphanage, after all. A guard led the two to their new room, also carrying their trunk. 

"I like this," Grinnie had whispered, looking at the back of the guard. Fiyeraba nodded, lost in the ominous void of the corridors. The palatial hallways felt empty without the trail of her mother, like there was something that should have been there but was forgotten. From what she had gathered from the throne room, her mother _should _have been able to wander these halls aimlessly, because she was the talented Witch, favorite of the Wizard. But she had given that up so nobody else would be hurt.

Fiyeraba watched the green marble tiles beneath her feet as she automatically followed the guard. After a while, he stopped and opened a door, revealing a pale-celery colored room. Grinnie stared at it in amazement.

"Lady Glinda's rooms are at the end of the hallway," the guard said. "If you need assistance, there is a guard at the beginning of each hallway." Fiyeraba took the trunk from him as Grinnie limped into the room, trying to take in all of its wonders.

"A fireplace! And a big mirror!" Grinnie said excitedly, examining these new treats. The orphan's room had a simple iron stove for heat, and the only mirror was extremely dirty and in Helene's room. Grinnie ran into the bed, allowing herself to fall into the feathery comforter. "Fiyeraba, come feel this! It's so soft!" Fiyeraba placed a hand on the bed, feeling it sink into the downy blankets. It _was _soft, and she would have wanted nothing more than to just lie in the feather blanket if she hadn't felt so helpless in her little quest for her miracle. She nodded distractedly.

"It's nice," she said, opening the trunk and pulling out a few things she would want to bring with her. The old cloak she was found in, definetly. Her satchel made of old scraps of cloth to carry things in. What else was worth taking? Grinnie slid off the bed, and fell over trying to get her balance. Fiyeraba abandoned sorting her posessions for the moment to help Grinnie up.

"Fiyeraba, you should be more happy! We're at the palace with Lady Glinda and we have an amazing room!" Grinnie smiled, accustomed to falling. Fiyeraba pulled Grinnie to her feet.

"Yes, it's wonderful," Fiyeraba said sarcastically, turning back to their chest. "Simply couldn't be happier." Grinnie's smile wavered. Fiyeraba had never used sarcasm before, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"What's wrong?" Grinnie said. "This is everybody's dream, Fiyeraba!" Fiyeraba shut the trunk lid roughly. All the rest of her things weren't suitable to take. She would let Grinnie have them.

"But it's not _my_ dream," Fiyeraba said. She sighed. "When Glinda first said I come back to the palace with her, I thought she was going to help me find my mother." Fiyeraba held out the old cloak, dark fabric piling on the ground. Either way, she draped the too-long cloak around her shoulders and tied it, glancing at Grinnie in the full-length mirror. "But she can't help me. So I have to help myself."

"What are you talking about?" Grinnie stood next to Fiyeraba in the mirror, completely overshadowed by the older girl's grim determination. She tried to find something to reason her with. "Remember Lady Dorothy of Kansas? She…" Grinnie's thoughts died as she realized that Dorothy of Kansas was the one who had forced Fiyeraba's mother into hiding, making her situation the most terrible analogy ever. Fiyeraba held herself tall against the mention of Dorothy, staring at the girl in the mirror, full of questions. How much was that girl capable of? Could she make it if she tried?

Could she live with herself if she didn't?

"I get it, Grinnie. Lady Dorothy helped the Wizard, and then the Wizard helped her." She closed her eyes a moment. Twelve years old. Lady Dorothy had been twelve years old when she had flown over the rainbow and, in the eyes of history, achieved so much good. "But Glinda's no Wizard. I'm going to find her myself," she promised her reflection. Grinnie stared at her.

"What?!" Grinnie grabbed Fiyeraba's arm. "Fiyeraba, all Oz is right here in front of you and you'd leave it behind?!" Fiyeraba looked at her mournfully.

"I know what I want," she said. "And if I want to find my mother, I can't want anything else anymore." Grinnie hugged her, rocking as she lost balance and gripped Fiyeraba to stay standing.

"Please stay," Grinnie pleaded. "Please, please, please, please, please-" Fiyeraba snorted at Grinnie's begging.

"Grinnie, I have to do this." Fiyeraba told her, disnentangling herself from Grinnie's hug. "In the throne room, I felt what had happened to my mother, and how much it hurt to leave her dreams behind. It must have been really sad for her to leave me." Fiyeraba took a deep breath, looking back at herself in the mirror. The black fabric weighed down on her shoulders, like she was wearing armor instead of a cloak. It was hard to believe this decrepid blanket had really been Elphaba's cloak. Fiyeraba wondered what effect the cloak had had in her mother's apperance.

Wait... Glinda had said she looked like her mother. On a curious whim, she imagined herself taller, with the trademarked pointy hat and green skin. Grinnie gasped in shock as the reflection shifted and warped until they were both looking at Elphaba. Mother and daughter spent a minute staring at each other, Elphaba's expression impossible to read.

_Is she really here? How far is she? _Fiyeraba lifted one hand to touch the smooth glass; Elphaba did the same. Their fingertips barely met before the green woman's reflection faded back into Fiyeraba's and the magic ended. Feeling her breath grow uneven, and fearing tears, Fiyeraba hoped she would come closer to meeting her mother than a few shadows and reflections scattered about.

"She needs to meet her daughter." Fiyeraba said with resolve. Grinnie looked at her sadly. Was this really the only way, or was Fiyeraba not thinking things through? Grinnie couldn't tell. For most of her life, she had depended on Fiyeraba to tell her what was right. Now, about to make a decision most would view completely _wrong_, how could Grinnie advise her friend?

A knock at the door ended the somber moment. Fiyeraba freed herself from the cloak and threw it in a corner quickly. If all this guessing was right, it was the Witch's cloak, and if anyone saw it...

"Come in," Fiyeraba called to the door. Glinda opened it, cautiously looking inside. Fiyeraba held her back against the mirror, as if Glinda could still see the reflection of her old best friend.

"Dinner will be served in a few minutes," Glinda announced. "Would you come down with me?" Grinnie looked up at Fiyeraba. Maybe some food would help get this notion out of her head.

"Let's go," Grinnie took Fiyeraba's hand. Fiyeraba didn't grip back, but allowed the weaker girl to lead her to Glinda. Glaring at Glinda, the black-haired girl stayed unusually silent.

"Fiyeraba, I know what it looks like I'm trying to do," Glinda told her quietly. "But it's for the better."

"It doesn't matter," Fiyeraba said, adding an edge to her words that cut deeply. "I don't need parents anyway. I've lived my whole life without her, haven't I? What's a few more years?" Fiyeraba suddenly took charge, pulling a surprised Grinnie along after her and leaving a stunned Glinda.

_It's for their safety, _Glinda thought as she hurried to catch up with Fiyeraba, about to make a wrong turn. _Fiyeraba would never survive the journey. _

_A__nd Elphaba would never survive being found._


	8. Concerns

**Another day, another chapter, another reminder that I will never ever own Wicked. That's Gregory Maguire's job. I wonder if I could write a 'Wicked'-like story... Maybe turn around Snow White or something... -Totally will not look like a rip-off...:)- **

**Read, review, and favorite if you find it worthy! -LostOzian**

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Fiyeraba stayed moodily silent all throughout dinner, trying to end Glinda's attempts at conversation as quickly as she thought of them. Grinnie, on the other hand, was anxious to talk to Glinda, and chattered on and on when Glinda tried to make Fiyeraba speak. 

"How do you like the pasta?" Glinda asked Fiyeraba directly. Grinnie immediately jumped on the question.

"'S really, really good!" she exclaimed, waving one noodle around on her fork. "We've had pasta before at the orphanage, mostly because it's so easy to cook a lot of it, but there's never been this red sauce with it. It's usually white and tastes like cheese, or there's no sauce at all. This tastes like….tomatoes," Grinnie decided at last, eating the noodle. Glinda smiled at how much Grinnie talked, but looked back to Fiyeraba. _Why won't she speak to me?_

"I like it," Fiyeraba said softly, picking at her sauce-covered pasta, hoping it would placate Glinda's want for conversation. Glinda barely heard her speak.

"Do you like it better than the pasta at the orphanage?" Glinda pressed. Fiyeraba rearranged her noodles without lifting the fork.

"Well, they were cooking for all of us, at least fifty, counting the little babies. It's all pretty rushed, and usually undercooked." Grinnie said quickly and made a face at the memory of hard pasta. Fiyeraba set down her fork, having barely touched her food.

"May I use the bathroom, please?" she asked politely. Glinda nodded, and was standing up when Fiyeraba spoke again.

"I can find it myself. I'm twelve. You don't need to worry," Glinda looked at her, trying to find some sort of reason that she wanted to go alone. The girl's face was blank.

"All right," Glinda said at last. "The bathroom's down the left hallway, then the third door on the left." Fiyeraba nodded in thanks, and practically ran out the door. Glinda sat back down, having a brief moment where she felt older than she was. To her dismay, they were becoming more and more frequent.

"Something wrong, Lady Glinda?" Grinnie asked, soft chocolate eyes staring at her concernedly. Glinda tried to smile.

"I'm fine," Glinda said, before looking back after Fiyeraba. It hurt her to have to make her stay, but it was for her own safety. If Fiyeraba found Elphaba, others would, and there would be another Witch Hunt. The only way out of that would be to clear Elphaba's name and break the promise, or be forced to stand by and watch her die again.

And this time, Fiyeraba would die with her. Silence grew between the two.

"Glinda, why do people lie?" Grinnie asked abruptly. "Because Fiyeraba lied to me before that if I didn't eat my vegetables when they were served at dinner, they would come and get in my ears at night and turn me into a vegetable." Glinda couldn't help but laugh. That was like a story her mother had told her when a toddler Galinda had stubbornly insisted that if she ate her broccoli, her hair would turn green. But she tried not to think about green much anymore.

"And you just lied a clock-tick ago and told me you were fine," Grinnie set down her fork. "And you're not. I can tell." Glinda couldn't help but marvel at how perceptive children were.

"It's…strange." Glinda started. "Elphaba was the biggest influence in my life. And when Fiyeraba's here, if almost feels like she is, too." Glinda paused as she tried to find how best to say what she wanted to say next. "I don't want her to get hurt searching for Elphaba. It's wrong for me to keep her, but if she goes the consequences will be too great."

"But you have magic," Grinnie said. "Could you give her something to help?" Glinda turned to Grinnie, tears welling up in her eyes.

"She'd never make it," Glinda said, starting to sob. "Elphaba spent the last years of her life on the brink of destruction, and she barely made it that long. It was the broom that kept her alive, I would say. They would find her, and then just like that," Glinda snapped her fingers. "She would be miles away. Fiyeraba doesn't have that. She'll get caught. I'm afraid for her." Grinnie combed her fork through the noodles, mulling over Glinda's speech.

"But she'd be happy," Grinnie said. "No matter how dangerous, Fiyeraba would only be happy if she was searching." Glinda sniffed, trying to pull back the tears before they smudged her makeup.

"I can't let her. Elphaba would want her safe." _Wouldn't she?_

The door opened again, and Fiyeraba returned to dinner. Her face looked rather red, as if she had been running.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I got lost." Grinnie and Glinda stared at her, trying to see if she was lying. Only Grinnie could tell she was.

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"Fiyeraba, you didn't go to the bathroom at all!" Grinnie accused her when they returned to their room. "And you need to stop this stuff about finding your mother!" Fiyeraba turned, not used to Grinnie being so commanding. 

"What?" she said incredulously. Grinnie folded her arms, taking control.

"Glinda's right to keep you here," she stated. "If you find her, you're dead. You're both dead." Fiyeraba met Grinnie's eyes, daring her to continue to tell her 'no'. "The only reason your mother didn't get caught was because she had a flying broomstick!" Fiyeraba smiled the knowing smile of someone with a secret too good to not tell.

"So do I," she reached under the bed skirt, a luxury the orphanage never had, and pulled out an old broom. "I took it while Glinda thought I was in the bathroom." Grinnie stared at the broom, knotted handle to bushy twigged end.

"It…it flies?" she breathed. Fiyeraba looked at it sadly, holding it in front of her as if that would make it take wing.

"Well…not yet. It's not my mother's broom," Fiyeraba admitted. "Tonight, I'm going to go through the door in the throne room. My mother went that way after she found the Wizard lied. She made her flying broom up there," Fiyeraba was sure the imprints would help her enchant this broom, too. Grinnie stared at her in amazement.

"You're…going to do it. No matter what Glinda says." Grinnie said. Fiyeraba nodded.

"I will find her. I need to find her." Fiyeraba stashed the broom under the bed again. "I'm sleeping in the chair, so I wake up. Then I'll go up to the tower and magic the broomstick, and I'll be on my way." Grinnie felt helpless, Fiyeraba's plans spiraling away from her and reason. Fiyeraba checked out the window at the almost complete sunset.

"And it's probably time for us to go to bed, anyway." Grinnie let Fiyeraba change her for bed, all the while thinking of how Fiyeraba could do this. She would defy all of Oz for a chance at the one dream she treasured, forsaking everything else. The minutes passed in silence as Grinnie was tucked away in the bed and Fiyeraba was curled up in the armchair, still in her frock and boots. Grinnie lay there, picking at the fine sheets and thinking of Fiyeraba across the room from her.

"I…I hope you'll be happy," Grinnie said to the silent room. Fiyeraba didn't answer.


	9. Declarations

**Time for Fiyeraba to earn her keep as the MC in an action/adventure story! It's been nine chapters...I should really re-categorize this. Or write more action-adverture worthy chapters. Either way, Fiyeraba's parents and Glinda and the Grimmerie are the wonderful Gregory Maguire's creations. Just so there's no confusion. -LostOzian**

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Fiyeraba woke several hours later, neck stiff from the awkward position of sleeping in a chair. She slipped out of the chair, thankful the pain had woken her, tied the cloak around her neck, and threw her bag over her shoulder as she retrieved the broom from under Grinnie's bed. Making as little noise as possible, she slipped out of the bedroom and into the palace hallways. Fiyeraba thought of the path the guard had led them on to their room, and went through all of the turns in reverse until she was staring up at the large doors to the throne room. She checked for guards; none, as security had gone lax in the years after her mother's 'death'. Cautiously, she pushed on one bronze door handle. 

The creak of the throne room door echoed as Fiyeraba opened it, the deserted hall oppressive. Fiyeraba felt the familiarity of her mother's long-ago presence. Each time she searched, it became easier to track. Each time she could feel more. Losing herself for a moment, she felt for a fresher trail. It was exactly like hunting. There was one….Elphaba had been in the throne room again, years after she met the Wizard. Fiyeraba stood where she had, staring at someone.

_Not him, too…Oz, please don't make him one of them…_The thoughts returned to Fiyeraba. She had been staring down the barrel of a gun. Who had been holding the gun? Fiyeraba took a few steps, trying to find where the gunman had been standing. A different set of thoughts reached Fiyeraba. They felt calmer than Elphaba's, more relaxed even as he was on edge.

_She came back. She shouldn't have come back._ The gunman was afraid for Elphaba. She felt the instinct to protect her, to 'keep up the act' until she could be freed. How could she feel his thoughts? She had never felt anyone's thoughts but Elphaba's up until now, and that was because she was her mother. Fiyeraba followed his steps without realizing it, moving exactly as he had. He pulled someone out from hiding, turning the gun on him. _The Wizard…_Fiyeraba realized as she felt her mother speaking to him.

"_Fiyero, you frightened me. I thought… I though you might have changed." _Fiyeraba felt him respond automatically.

_"I have…changed."_ She let the memory slip away, standing in the empty hall. _Fiyero_. Her father. He was dead now, though. She would never know her father. Sadly, she approached Glinda's table podium and slipped the Grimmerie into the bag. A great clanging made Fiyeraba jump. One of the large doors had been pushed aside, and Grinnie lay on the floor, her shoulders shaking with the effort of dragging herself.

"You not going alone!" Grinnie gasped, trying to pull herself further into the hall. Fiyeraba ran to her side, lifting her to her feet. Grinnie's feeble legs shook beneath her with exhaustion as she clung to Fiyeraba.

"I'm not going to let you go without me!" Grinnie declared. "Glinda's right, it's dangerous, and I won't let you go and…and…" Grinnie started crying, burying her face ing Fiyeraba's shoulder. Fiyeraba felt like someone was pulling at her heart, tears starting to well in her eyes. Yes, it was hard when she decided to do this and leave Grinnie behind, but for Grinnie to come with her…

"You don't have to come," Fiyeraba said softly. "There's going to be a lot of traveling, and you don't-"

"I don't care!" Grinnie drew back, taking one shaky step. "I won't let you go alone." Fiyeraba glanced at the shadowy door, then back at Grinnie. She was being so brave. Passing the broom to Grinnie, Fiyeraba held her arms open to carry Grinnie. The girl looked confused, but Fiyeraba picked her up anyway.

"There'll be stairs," Fiyeraba said, remembering the tale of the Witch's first appearance from the palace tower. "Lots of them." With a well-practiced leg hook, Fiyeraba managed to get the dark door open, revealing the narrow flight of stairs. She looked up into the gloomy passage, wondering how far up they went.

_As far as they need to…_Fiyeraba thought as she began to climb. The emotion in the tiny stairwell was overwhelming. All of the pain, shock, and sorrow filled Fiyeraba's head and made her speed up with the urge to get out of the confining stairwell and the phantom knowledge that she had been tricked to give caged- _caged_- Monkeys wings. Grinnie didn't say a word as Fiyeraba battled with the stairs and the agony of what her mother had felt.

After an age, Fiyeraba reached the top. A kind of trapdoor blocked her way into the tower. Grinnie pushed up on it as Fiyeraba climbed the last of the wooden stairs. Energy spent, Fiyeraba set Grinnie down quickly and fell to the ground. The cruel onslaught of memory opened, relieving the pressure on her. She sat up, looking around her. This little attic was where Elphaba had cast the spell. She crawled on the floor, looking for the spot where she could hear the spell in her head.

There. Fiyeraba motioned for Grinnie to set the broom down. Slowly, she began to chant the spell. It resounded in her head, her voice adding to its power.

"_Ah may ah tah tay may tu se sat a…" _

"Ah may ah tah tay may tu se sat a …" Fiyeraba felt the power building, shivers going down her spine. This felt right. It felt more right than anything else she had ever-

_"STOP!" _Someone shouted. And Elphaba had stopped. And Fiyeraba stopped. The spell seemed to release, the build up magic leaving her possession.

"What is it?" Grinnie asked, puzzled by the sudden end. Steam began to swirl around the broom, enveloping it for a moment as it rose out of the mist of its own accord. _It can fly now,_ Fiyeraba thought elatedly.

_"I told you, Glinda! Didn't I tell you?" _Elphaba had said as her own broom was enchanted to flight. Fiyeraba grasped the broom, feeling its lightness as it suspended itself in the air. Turning to Grinnie, she held out the broom.

"I'll try to get you on," she said, setting the broom down. It seemed reluctant to fall. Grinnie took a few shaky steps until she was on top of it, before Fiyeraba lifted it to her hands. Positioning herself if front, Fiyeraba lifted the broom until they were both sitting astride it. The broom raised them into the air gently, before Fiyeraba urged it out the window and into the Emerald City night. As Fiyeraba stared down at the glory of still-lit buildings, she could hear her mother's proclamation to all of Oz that night.

_"So if you care to find me, look to the western sky! As _someone _told me lately, 'Everyone deserves the chance to fly!'"_ Fiyeraba looked aback at Grinnie, holding on to Fiyeraba's waist in a death grip.

"Relax, Grinnie! This is amazing!" Fiyeraba called back to her. "She hadn't just defied gravity! She defied all of _Oz_!" Holding on only with her legs, Fiyeraba held out her arms and laughing in the face of the wind and weather. She was one of the great forces now; she had the power to _fly_!

A great scream reached them from below. Fiyeraba looked down to see a woman staring up at them, pointing at them in horror.

"It's…it's the Witch!" she continued shrieking. "The Witch is back!" Her frenzied shouts drew other citizens.

"It's not the Witch! She's not green!"

"But she's flying!"

"She looks just like the Witch! But little!"

"A Little Witch!"

"A Little _Wicked Witch_!"

The masses of people grew larger as Fiyeraba and Grinnie hung in the air, suspended by magic. Fearing the worst, Fiyeraba looked around for the sun. There, the yellow orb was just chasing away the darkness.

It hadn't been the middle of the night. It was just before dawn. People had seen her.

"Time to go, Grinnie!" Fiyeraba said as she turned the broom around, speeding off away from the Emerald City.

And the Ozians watched in terror as it truly dawned on them that a young girl had come to fill the Witch's long-empty shoes of evil.


	10. Poppies

**Wicked is still not mine, in case there was any dispute.**

**Of course there wasn't. -LostOzian**

* * *

"This is a terrible occurrence, your goodness." One of Glinda's advisors said to her as the small group surveyed a map of Oz. Suspected points where Fiyeraba would visit- Kiamo Ko, sites in the Vinkus, Dorothy's house- were marked with little red flags. "A child doing a deed such as this…" 

"She's twelve, maybe thirteen years old. The same age Lady Dorothy was when she killed the Witches. I'd say that this Little Witch made her own decisions with full knowledge of their consequences." Another responded to the first. "I'm just sorry she dragged another child into this." Glinda stared at the map, trying to keep from betraying anything. She did have to tell that she found Fiyeraba in the orphanage and had discovered her magical powers, but the secret of her parentage was safe with her.

"We still don't know her intentions." A third man inserted himself in the conversation. "Maybe she just wants to be a witch like Lady Glinda and can't manage a bubble." Glinda's mouth twitched in a smile. No, she knew why Fiyeraba had made a flying broomstick. This probably never would have happened if she hadn't told Grinnie about how Elphaba evaded capture.

"Gentlemen, I believe this should be handled as efficiently as possible." Glinda addressed the various ministers and heads of departments. "We have to do something she wouldn't suspect. Now, the theft of my spell book is regrettable, but I do have many copied notes; almost the whole book. I could lay a simple trap for them, and this will all be over before breakfast." A few of the men nodded, but several looked skeptical.

"What do you expect to do, Your Goodness?" one asked her. Glinda pointed on the map just outside the Emerald City to the south.

"We know she turned south, and she'll have to land so we can't track her by while the sun is up." Glinda looked up. "She'll be right in the middle of Witch's Field."

"You're sure you can do it?" someone said. Glinda looked the man in the eyes.

"If I disenchanted them, I can re-enchant them just as easily." She turned to the Captain of the Guard; trying not to think of the fact the girl he was going to capture was a certain Captain of the Guard's daughter.

"Ready your men. Watch from the City walls until you can see they're both asleep. Then go and get them, and bring them back to me for questioning. Dismissed."

The Captain left to set up a squad for this mission. Glinda stared at the map solemnly. If her little trap failed, there was nothing to protect Fiyeraba from feeling the wrath of angered citizens and employment of the law.

_I'm sorry... but I have to. _Glinda thought as she left to prepare her notes.

* * *

Fiyeraba brought the broom to a gentle landing right outside the Emerald City. Most of the inhabitants were too shocked by her sudden appearance to have organized themselves. They were safe for the moment. Fiyeraba stepped off the broom, letting it fall so Grinnie could stand. The little girl shook visibly, leaning against the city wall for support. 

"Don't get too comfortable, Grinnie," Fiyeraba warned, looking out over the sea of poppies that almost met the palace walls. Her mother's poppies. Travelers avoided this section of the Yellow Brick Road with superstitious fervor, despite the fact Glinda had taken the magic out of the bright red flowers long ago. It was the best starting point for their journey to find Fiyeraba's parents. On a whim, Fiyeraba searched for traces of her parents. She did feel a hint of Fiyero, but he felt different. He was lighter, like he had made less of an impression. _Strange..._

"C'mon," Fiyeraba said at last, taking the broom over her shoulder. They couldn't fly in the daytime; people would see them too easily in the light. "Let's go." Grinnie pushed off against the wall, teetering slightly as she gained balance. Fiyeraba took her arm to make sure she didn't fall, and set out into the sea of red flowers.

The morning was growing to be a beautiful one. The sun was chasing away the last cold tendrils of night, replacing it with a comforting glow. The poppies brushed their ankles gently, bobbing slightly as gentle breezes stirred their heads. Fiyeraba took a deep breath, the dizzying scent of the blooms making the scene start to blur in a relaxing haze. She took a few more steps before she realized Grinnie wasn't beside her. Turning, she saw the younger girl had fallen again, but seemed like she wasn't trying to stand up again. Fiyeraba stood over her, taking Grinnie's hands.

"Fiyeraba, I'm tired," Grinnie said from the ground, rolling over and breaking Fiyeraba's grasp. "In a minute…" Fiyeraba blinked, realizing for the first time how tired _she_ was. But they had to keep going! If they stayed this close to the city, they would be caught.

"Grinnie, we have to go…" Fiyeraba took Grinnie's arm, fighting the smell as she tried to pull her up. Had her arm always been this heavy? Fiyeraba dropped Grinnie's arm, her legs going weak and head starting to sink to her chest in spite of herself. A moment later, she was lying beside Grinnie, staring up through the poppies at the paling sky. Half-formed thoughts raced around in her head. When had the poppies been re-enchanted? Was Glinda the one who did it? Did the Good Witch intend for her to stay at the palace and never find her mother?

_Will I ever wake up?_ Fiyeraba thought as she, too, was forced to submit to the magical sleep.

* * *

Fiyeraba blinked, seeming to have woken up. Was she really awake? Someone was holding her hand, an adult's hand from the size of it. It felt solid enough. The hand tugged, helping Fiyeraba to a standing position. She held back surprised amazement at her the face of her helper. Her expression was calm and refined, with long black hair meeting with a tattered and heavily patched black dress. The woman stared into Fiyeraba's eyes as the girl stared back, thinking sluggishly of where she had seen those eyes before. _When I look in a mirror…_

"It's ironic," the woman said at last, bending down and touching one of the poppies, never letting go of Fiyeraba's hand. "This field was first used by the Witch of the West to prevent a girl from reaching the Emerald City. Now, they're being used by the Witch of the North to keep another girl from reaching the Witch of the West." Fiyeraba smiled slightly; that was ironic, but her still-drowsy mind was trying to think of explanations. Why wasn't the woman tired? Practically reading her mind, the woman responded.

"These are my poppies, no matter who enchants them. I'll always be immune, but you won't." She reached into her pocket, drawing out a snowflake the size of her palm. The little ice crystals glittered as the sun caught in its facets.

"Glinda had freed Dorothy from the poppies' spell by making it snow," she explained. "I won't be that cliché, but this should keep you awake until you make it out of the poppies. Its magic won't work by the time it melts." Fiyeraba took the snowflake, feeling her skin prickle in shivering goose-bumps. It was so _cold._ The woman let go of her hand as the last traces of sleep evaporated in the snowflake's chill.

"Good luck," the woman said, and turned to leave. Fiyeraba's unclouded mind realized who it must have been.

"Mother?" she called after her, but found herself lying on the ground again. She could feel the snowflake's freezing form in her hand, making her fingers numb. She sat up, the dreamy smell of the poppies kept at bay by the ice magic. Teeth starting to chatter, Fiyeraba lifted Grinnie out of the poppies, watching as the cold spread to her friend.

"Fiyeraba!" Grinnie giggled, blinking sleep from her eyes. "I fell asleep. I'm sorry," Fiyeraba shook her head, her body starting to shiver. _At least I'm awake,_ she thought.

"We have to go, or else we'll fall asleep again." Fiyeraba lifted Grinnie onto her back, starting to run through the flowers. The movement helped Fiyeraba stay warm, but she felt the snowflake starting to melt. Her brain felt rushed into activity, explaining everything as she ran.

_The snowflake makes me cold, meaning I can't fall asleep. _The running became rhythmic; Fiyeraba's even stride adding speed. _Running warms me up, so the snowflake works harder to cool me down again._ Someone shouted after her. Fiyeraba felt Grinnie twist around to look; Fiyeraba didn't dare turn back, even to see who was there.

"Men in shiny shirts!" Grinnie reported. Fiyeraba said as nasty word she shouldn't know under her breath. _Guards. _Their little nap had lost them time, and the Emerald City guards were right behind her. She could only hope Glinda hadn't disenchanted the poppies yet. She could feel the snowflake growing weak, the tiny points at the ends breaking off into little crystals. Glancing between her hand and the forest edge, Fiyeraba tried to think of how much time she had left. Already she could feel the odor of the poppies trying to soothe her, slow her down.

_I can't stop! _Fiyeraba thought. If she fell asleep, it would mean the end of all of her dreams. She would never meet her mother; never find out what it felt like to be like a normal child with a bond between your parent and you. Never find out how she came to an orphanage, what had happened to her father. There were so many reasons she needed to go on!

Finally, the poppies began to thin just as the snowflake turned to slush in her hand. Fiyeraba kept running a few steps to make sure she was far away, then turned back to look across the poppy field. She could just make out the tall forms of five people on the other side of the field. Letting Grinnie down, Fiyeraba opened her hand to examine the watery mess of the snowflake. The snowflake that saved her journey.

The snowflake her mother gave her. Fiyeraba knew that this would probably be the only time someone else could come and save her. Her mother had just risked her life to make sure Fiyeraba could keep searching. There must be countless reasons they couldn't leave the field together. Grinnie, the fact the field was almost wide open, the daytime. Fiyeraba blew on the snowflake gently, the melted ice turning to glittery smoke.

"Thank you," she whispered. She just needed one little push to start to soar. They'd never get her again.

* * *

"We waited until we saw the second one fall, and then left to get them." The corporal in charge of capturing Fiyeraba and Grinnie reported. "By the time we got there, the black-haired one had her friend on her back and started running. We even sent Jibo in a few steps to make sure the poppies were working." The corporal glanced back at the man called Jibo. Jibo seemed ashamed, like he had just made sure the Little Witch and her friend escaped. "They were." Glinda curled her hand into a fist at her side. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid! How in Oz had Fiyeraba and Grinnie escaped the poppies?! It had been foolproof! 

_Wait…_ Glinda turned, looking out the window to the sea of red in the distance. _Elphaba had probably thought Dorothy couldn't get out of the poppies the first time…Then I went and…_ Glinda hung her head. How could she have thought Elphaba didn't want Fiyeraba to find her? That was the whole reason she left Fiyeraba at the orphanage with her last reminder of Fiyero. Somehow, she must have released her daughter from the poppies. But she couldn't tell the guards this was her doing.

"I guess the Little Witch is smarter than we think," Glinda said quietly. She couldn't do anything to protect Fiyeraba now. She was on her own. "Proceed with caution; never underestimate her abilities. She'll always have something we won't think of." That's all Glinda could do. Evading capture meant to the rest of Oz that Fiyeraba was a threat. There was nothing Glinda could do to save the girls now.

"Ozspeed, Fiyeraba," she muttered as the other men left.


	11. Discoveries

**This is a disclaimer. A what? A disclaimer. A what? A disclaimer. Oh, a disclaimer. -Drama games rule!- This disclaimer says Wicked and characters belong to Gregory Maguire. However, the character Fiyeraba, Grinnie, and Toj belong to me. Read to find out who Toj is. **

**Read, Review, Favorite if it's worthy. I love people who do. -LostOzian**

* * *

Hours melted away on the deserted part of the Yellow Brick Road as Fiyeraba and Grinnie walked doggedly. The older girl was regretting having forgotten to bring food, but realized there was nothing she could have done. She didn't know where the kitchens were in the palace, or if she would have been allowed in. Sneaking food from dinner would have been impossible without Grinnie's help. Besides, Fiyeraba had done most of her planning then. What to take. When to leave. How to leave.

Feeling guilty anyway, Fiyeraba set up a system where Grinnie could ride the broom next to her as a kind of ferry. This helped Grinnie go a bit faster, and after many false alarms on the abandoned section of road, the girls had perfected the art of getting Grinnie out of the air and stable in seconds.

Mid-afternoon rolled around, and the trees began to thin. Neat rows of corn began to replace the wild forest as Fiyeraba packed up the broom so nobody would see. This close to a farm meant there were farmers. Farmers with eyes, farmers strong enough to capture them.

"Look, Fiyeraba! Corn!" Grinnie announced after a little while. Fiyeraba sighed. She had noticed the tall green stalks a long time ago. Grinnie latched onto Fiyeraba's arm dependently.

"So?" Fiyeraba tried to fend off the guilty feeling.

"I'm hungry!" she said, like Fiyeraba was playing around at it was all a big game. That's how she viewed life; a game, and it kept her smiling because she thought it was always fun. "And since it's so thick, we could fly through-" Fiyeraba stopped, causing Grinnie to stumble slightly.

"Grinnie," Fiyeraba began quietly. "When we're this close to people, we can't fly at all! Do you understand?" Grinnie's smile faded slightly, her eyes losing the sparkle to show Fiyeraba she understood the magnitude of what they were up against: All of Oz. Fiyeraba sighed, thinking of the hunger she and Grinnie felt.

"Don't worry," she told Grinnie promisingly. "I'll find some way to feed you." The two shared a quick hug, before turning back to the road.

Standing right in front of them, a short stocky boy with a straw hat and red sunburned face was staring at them. The boy stared at them for a long time, looking back and forth between their faces. Hoping he wouldn't think of 'the Little Witches', Fiyeraba spoke up.

"Who are you?" she asked. The boy puffed up.

"Who are _you_?" he countered. "And what are you doing near my cornfield?" Fiyeraba glanced at the field, then back at him. She didn't know where to begin in guessing his age, as almost all Munchkins were known to be short at adulthood. Still, he was just a boy, maybe ten years old despite his short stature.

"Your cornfield?" Fiyeraba said critically. The boy wrestled this statement.

"Well…it's my father's cornfield," the boy said miserably, but stood up straighter as he continued. "But it will be mine someday!" Looking from Grinnie to Fiyeraba, he repeated his question with more genuine confusion. "Who are you?"

"I'm Grinnie, and this is Fiyeraba." Grinnie said, flashing her best smile. Fiyeraba rearranged the broom behind her back, hoping it would become less conspicuous that way. The last thing she needed was someone asking why she was traveling with a broom.

"I'm Toj Vixerli," Toj squinted at Fiyeraba. "What kind of a name is Fiyeraba?" Fiyeraba folded her arms indignantly.

"What kind of a name is Toj?" she retorted. Toj seemed to get very offended.

"It doesn't matter what my name is!" Toj said angrily, his face turning a few shades redder. "I broke four-foot-four last week and I'm gonna get Scarecrow's Field when I'm old enough! That makes me more important than you!" He pointed a stubby finger at Fiyeraba, who was desperately trying to keep a straight face. She could still feel the weight of _Prince _Fiyero Tiggular's birth pendant around her neck. No egotistical farm boy could top 'princess'. Fiyeraba settled for rolling her eyes, the beginnings of an idea in her head.

"Well, if you're so important, could you help us?" Fiyeraba asked. Toj frowned in thought, looking Grinnie and Fiyeraba over. "We've been walking since dawn, and haven't had anything to eat." At that moment, Grinnie started to sway slightly and lose her balance. Fiyeraba caught her, accustomed to the role.

"She…hurt?" Toj asked slowly.

"A long time ago, but yes," Fiyeraba said. It was better than explaining Grinnie's tragic crippling again. Toj looked at the sun, then back at the girls.

"I'll let you stay in my barn," he said. "But you have to come see Scarecrow's Post first." Toj turned, expecting the two girls to follow him. Fiyeraba and Grinnie shared a small moment of success before following Toj to Scarecrow's Post.

* * *

"That's it?" Grinnie said innocently as she stared at the empty pole. It looked like a normal T-shaped pole you would hang a scarecrow on with nothing special whatsoever. Toj was extremely insulted.

"What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Toj said. "It's _Scarecrow's Pole_! The same Wise Scarecrow of Oz that traveled with Lady Dorothy! It wouldn't matter if it was made of gold and emeralds or just a few twigs tied together so long as it was _his pole_!" Fiyeraba stared at the yellow bricks in the road, feeling the strangely lightweight impression of Fiyero again. It was so strange, she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Can I… stand on the pole?" Fiyeraba asked suddenly. Toj stared at her. "I promise I won't break anything, it's just… I want to get closer." Toj considered this, then tried to make it look like he was doing her a big favor.

"I guess you could maybe spend a second… If anyone found out I let you near it, I'd get in a lot of trouble… I'm not supposed to let people touch it…" But Fiyeraba wasn't listening, already stepping over the low fence surrounding that area of the cornfield. The wooden 'T' cast a long shadow over Fiyeraba when she noticed a small piece of wood stuck near the base for a person to stand on. Keeping in mind her promise not to break anything, Fiyeraba carefully balanced on the small spike and held her arms out, grasping the bar of the T.

_Pain._ Waves of unbearable agony flooded through Fiyeraba's mind, the memory barely recognizable as Fiyero's solid thoughts through the maddening torture. Her eyes snapped shut against the terrible suffering. They had whipped him across the back until he could barely think straight. But he would never tell them about Kiamo Ko, they would _never_ find out where Elphaba had gone…

_I would die first…_ was his last distinguishable thought as he lost consciousness. Fiyeraba's heart skipped a beat. Was this where her father had died, here on Scarecrow's Pole?

_Wait…_ Fiyeraba focused on the final moments before Fiyero blacked out, and she could barely hear the words of power chanted from far away in an attempt to save him.

"Fiyeraba?" Grinnie said quietly. Fiyeraba opened her eyes, hoping they hadn't noticed how much it had hurt to feel Fiyero's memory here. "Is something wrong?" Toj was staring at her strangely. Fiyeraba forced a smile, trying to feel if Fiyero ever woke up again. That spell at the end had to have done something.

"Nothing," she said. "I was just wondering if I looked like the Scarecrow." This set Toj off like a bullet.

"What do you mean, you were wondering if you looked like the Scarecrow?!" He exploded. "He was a guy _scarecrow_! Not some scrawny _girl_!" He continued ranting as Fiyeraba focused on the memories. The blackness lasted a long time, but then life seemed to come back to him. All of his thoughts felt lighter, like if Fiyeraba didn't pin them down they would be blown away.

_What in Oz…? _Fiyero had looked at one of his hands, startled by a great change. His entire body felt far too insubstantial. He looked down, displaying one foot. It, too, had been changed. He faced forward, amazed by what had happened.

_Elphaba saved my life…_He realized, just as a small girl and a dog appeared from around the corner…

"And _furthermor_e-" Toj was saying, proud of his vocabulary, as Fiyeraba started laughing. It made sense now! Toj looked at her, his red face pulling into a frown. "What?" Fiyeraba looked at him, trying to come up with a good excuse.

"It's funny how... you can just talk and talk about how I different I am from the Scarecrow," Toj gaped at her.

"Weren't you listening?!" he almost shouted, his reedy voice ruining the effect of power. "I was saying-"

"No, it's not _what_ you were saying." Fiyeraba wiped her eyes from laughing. "It's that you can just chatter on about it." Toj just stared at her for a minute, anger all over his face, when he turned on a barefoot heel and started to stalk off.

"My barn's this way!" he said angrily. "You're lucky I'm still letting you stay after insulting me!" Fiyeraba hopped down from the post and took Grinnie's arm to help her balance.

"My father's alive," Fiyeraba whispered, taking one last glance at Scarecrow's Pole. "They were going to kill him, but my mother turned him into…" she paused dramatically. "…A _Scarecrow_." Grinnie giggled slightly, adding life to her smile.

"You still look nothing like him, Fiyeraba." she said as they followed Toj to the barn.


	12. Deceptions

**Disclaimer: Wicked is not mine. Yeah. Just in case there was any question. Now, Fiyeraba (the person), Grinnie, and Toj's extended family belong to me. But other than that, pure Gregory Maguire ownership. -LostOzian**

* * *

The barn was large and slightly stuffy, but was comforting to Fiyeraba and Grinnie. They lay back in a haystack beneath the loft, taking the weight off their feet. Oz, if felt good to sit. Fiyeraba snuggled down in the straw, feeling it cushion around her as she marveled at what she had just discovered. 

_My father is the Scarecrow…My father is the Scarecrow of Oz…_ She smiled at the bottom of the loft. If only Toj knew… She took a pinch of straw and sprinkled in on her face, smiling at the light touch. Toj stared at them, not sure what he should do.

"Uh…I'll bring you food," he said awkwardly. "Don't move." Fiyeraba snorted.

"Little chance of that," Fiyeraba watched as Toj left the barn, thinking of how his life was different from hers. He was at home, with his family and his own delusions of eventually owning the farm. Fiyeraba never really had a home, when she thought about it. Helene had loved and cared for her like a mother, and Fiyeraba had loved her for that, but she knew it wasn't her true home. Her real home, with Elphaba and Fiyero. Maybe that's why she wanted to find them so badly.

_Because there's no place like home…_ Fiyeraba thought as she fell asleep without realizing it.

_

* * *

__A four-year-old Fiyeraba hugged the aging blanket she was found in around her tighter, stumbling down the hallway steps. The cold of the storm nipped at her toes, but Fiyeraba knew she had to count herself lucky. In this side of the City, there were plenty who were spending this stormy night outside, exposed to the weather's miserable wrath. _

_She caught sight of lightning outside of a thin window, stopping briefly. What was it like to be a lightning bolt? To just have one moment of brilliance, and then die? Did lightning bolts really die, or did they just go away for a while until they were needed to jump from the clouds again? The lightning puzzle added to Fiyeraba's confusion as she continued down the stairs and opened Helene's door. _

_"Helene?" her small voice was almost lost in the blackness. "Helene?" The matron's bed frame creaked, a signal she had turned over. _

_"What is it, my child?" Fiyeraba took a few steps forward, facing the figure in the bed. There was something she needed to tell her about._

_"I'm not your child," Fiyeraba began, trying to bring the feeling back. "Because you're not my mother… are you?" Helene pulled aside the blankets, making room for Fiyeraba to climb in with her, but the small child insisted on remaining standing._

_"I was found…wasn't I?" Fiyeraba gathered up the excess material on the ground and double layered her oversized baby blanket around her thin shoulders. It was so confusing; this was the first time she had ever felt something like this. "In this blanket." _

_"Yes, my child," Helene reached out one hand to touch Fiyeraba's cheek. Her wrinkled hand felt warm against her cold face, but Fiyeraba clutched the blanket tighter, trying to bring back what she had felt in it in the middle of the night. It was something… something special._

_Fiyeraba stood there for a minute, trying to find the feeling in the old cloth again, but could only feel little echoes, so small they almost weren't there. _

_"Climb in, Fiyeraba." Helene said. "You and the bed are just getting colder if I leave the covers off." Abandoning the blanket, Fiyeraba joined the matron, spooning against the older woman's body._

_"I was found," Fiyeraba repeated, the warmth of Helene's bed chasing away the sorrow of not being able to find the feeling again. "How was I found?" Helene began stroking the back of Fiyeraba's head, brushing the thin black hair into place._

_"It was a night like tonight," Helene began. "A strange woman approached my door and insisted she couldn't keep you. She told me three things. One, that I should never take away the gold necklace; two, that you may only be troublesome when you were angry; and three," Helene wrapped one arm around Fiyeraba's skinny body. "That I should always love you._

_"She disappeared before she could tell me your name. The Emerald City Police questioned me about who she was, but I had never seen her before. After they left, I named you after your father, but added on a few letters for originality." Fiyeraba picked at the gold chain she always kept around her neck, pulling until the heavy pendant rested in her small hand._

"_Fiyero Tiggular. __29th of April, fourth Year of the Wizard. __May his land prosper forever," Fiyeraba read from memory. Helene shifted beside her._

"_Who taught you to read that?" she asked. Fiyeraba blinked, long-awaited sleep finally returning._

"_I…taught myself," Fiyeraba said. "If it belonged to my father, I… thought I should know how to read it."_

"_Impressive, Fiyeraba," Helene said. "You're a very gifted girl, you know that, right?" Fiyeraba didn't respond, reaching for her blanket before she finally fell asleep. Maybe the blanket would make her dream of the feeling again._

* * *

"Fiyeraba…Fiyeraba, wake up!" Fiyeraba's eyes fluttered open. Grinnie was shaking her shoulder, smiling at her. "Toj brought food!" Fiyeraba sat up, picking bits of straw out of her hair. Toj was staring at them, arms full with a loaf of bread, several apples, and a wedge of cheese. Fiyeraba took the relative feast and started dividing everything up, giving Grinnie the larger pieces and odd apple. _I promised to feed her._

"Where are you from?" Toj sat down on the barn floor, cross-legged. Grinnie bit into one of the apples ravenously, not waiting to eat or answer his question.

"Tha Em'ral Cithy," she said, taking another bite. Toj wrinkled his forehead.

"Grinnie, don't talk with your mouth full," Fiyeraba reminded, showing a bit more restraint in eating. "She means the Emerald City." Toj's eyes widened in amazement.

"The Emerald City? With Lady Glinda the Good?" Grinnie nodded; proud she had some great story to impress him with.

"We met her! She's really nice!" Fiyeraba almost choked on a piece of apple. _Nice…_ She thought angrily. _She tried to keep me from going after my mother…_

"I've always wanted to meet Lady Glinda," Toj said. "Do you see her often? Because you live in the City where she is…"

"No," Grinnie said, beginning to slow down eating. "Sometimes one of the older children would find a magazine with her picture in it. We'd all fight over how many times we get to read it." Fiyeraba glanced at Grinnie, feigning that she wasn't interested, as Toj pondered her statement.

"Older children?" he asked. "How many are in your family?" Fiyeraba decided this was her turn to answer, especially since she had counted barely a day ago.

"There are forty-seven of us, ranging from fifteen to four, with three babies, all younger than two." Fiyeraba rattled off. "Helene's our mother."

"How can one woman have fifty children so close in ages?" Toj said. Fiyeraba rolled her eyes.

"We're orphans. We lived in a home with fifty orphans and Matron Helene as our mother. Right now we're trying to find my birth-mother."

"All by yourselves?" Fiyeraba nodded slowly, trying to think of some explanation.

"Yeah," she said, and was about to continue when the barn door slid open. A squat man that looked a lot like an older version of Toj was standing in the doorway. Fiyeraba's mind was racing. _His father. An adult. He'd know we're the little witches._

"TOJ!" the man bellowed, running forward at an impressive speed and pulling Fiyeraba and Grinnie out of the straw roughly. The only thing Fiyeraba could do was grab the broom. _Though fat chance of flying off with Lead Grip hanging on to me…_

"What do you think you were doing!?" the man continued to shout at Toj. "These two are the Little Wicked Witches wanted by Lady Glinda!" The three children looked at one another in shock.

_So Glinda made us into wanted criminals? _Fiyeraba thought ruefully. _Wonderful... _

"They…they're wicked?" Toj stammered, looking between Fiyeraba and Grinnie. Other people, no doubt more of Toj's family, entered the barn to find out what the commotion was.

"Two girls?"

"The Little Witches!"

"In our barn?"

"How?"

"Toj, how did they end up in our barn?" Toj started to look around at his family in a panic, stammering incoherent syllables.

"Eh…ah…I… I was going to trap them!" he declared at last. Fiyeraba stared at him.

"No you weren't!" Fiyeraba kicked at Toj's father, but the solid man hefted her higher by the collar on her frock, out of range. "You offered for us to stay, you brought us food, you let me stand on Scarecrow's Pole-" The last accusation brought cries of shock from Toj's family. The farm boy shook his head furiously.

"I only let you stay to trap you!" he shouted, sounding like an weaker version of his father. "And you're lying about Scarecrow's Pole! You're just a liar!" Fiyeraba stopped struggling. Toj had let them into his barn, given them food, maybe even been their friend, and now he was denying everything because his family would disapprove.

"And now you're caught because of my plan!" Toj declared, looking around to his relatives for appreciation. He was not disappointed. An older and younger woman, one maybe his mother, hugged him tightly.

"Such a smart boy!" one was cooing to him. Toj looked down, avoiding looking at either girl in his father's grasp. _He made that up! _Fiyeraba thought. _He made up that he had a plan so he wouldn't get in trouble!_

"What should we do with them?" One of the Vixerlis said. Toj's father looked from Grinnie to Fiyeraba.

"That one's a cripple," he passed Grinnie off to the other man with little effort. Fiyeraba made a lunge for Grinnie's hand only to have Toj's father tighen his grip. "This one may put up a fight."

"Yes, but where should we take them? They could be dangerous," the man held Grinnie by the arms, her legs swinging uselessly. Fiyeraba could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"The Tin Man!" One of the women said. "The Tin Man can keep them until Lady Glinda can be told of their capture!" The Vixerlis agreed to this, and the two men started off. Fiyeraba started to panic, punching and kicking until Toj's father flung her over his shoulder.

The Tin Man. One of her mother's would-be-murderers. What would he do to her, the daughter of said Witch? Would she even be able to continue searching once she was in his metal grasp? She needed a plan.

All she could do was think as the two Vixerli men carried her and Grinnie away.


	13. Conspiracies

**Disclaimer: NOT! MINE! Yeah. Just so you know. Let's see...Is there anything random I can say here that will make everybody reading this laugh out loud? Hmmm... SWEEDISH FISH USE SWISS ARMY KNIVES:) On to the story! -LostOzian**

* * *

The two men were granted immediate audience with the Tin Man, giving Fiyeraba even less time to think of some sort of plan to escape. Before she knew it, she was inside the old governor's mansion, being brought to the Tin Man's study. The house was full of traces of Elphaba; her mother as a little girl, a young lady, a woman eager to start living.

_This should be my mother's house now, _Fiyeraba thought as she was dragged into the study. Shelf after shelf of books lined the wall, with a messy desk set up in the other side of the room. _And _he _took it away from her!_ Fiyeraba glared at the occupant of the heavy desk. He creaked slightly as he looked up at the small party, tin body complaining as he stood to examine the two Munchkins and two orphans.

"Pardon us, sir," Toj's father said. "The Vixerli family of Scarecrow's Pole, that's us, has discoverated the Little Witches wanted by Lady Glinda the Good." Fiyeraba stared at the floor, trying to find more recent memories in this room. There, four years after she had vanished from the house, Elphaba had come back. Two of Elphaba's spell-castings stood out like flames on a horizon to Fiyeraba's senses. One, someone took their first steps… Finally, good had been done. _My aunt... _The second spell-

Fiyeraba looked up abruptly, shocked by what she had found. But shouldn't she have expected it? If she had possessed the power to change Fiyero to a scarecrow, she had the power to change…whoever it had been…to tin. The sudden movement caught the Tin Man's attention, drawing him closer. Fiyeraba clutched the broom for support, as if it would drive him away. Surprisingly, the Tin Man eyed the broom with fear.

"Why didn't you take the broom away from her?" He said quietly, looking up to Toj's father. He seemed to grow uncomfortable, shifting Fiyeraba in his hands.

"Well…you see, sir…since she's a witch, we were… ah…aprehensived that she might hex us if we took it away," Fiyeraba hid a smile in a grimace. If she had intended to hex them, she would have needed to read from the Grimmerie. She just hoped Glinda had forgotten that detail in her wanted report. The Tin Man shrugged, a squeak-clunk, understanding human aversion to pain.

"I'll get it." He approached Fiyeraba, reaching out one hand to grab the broom. Fiyeraba curled around it in a ball, locking her hands and ankles. He would never take it away from her, the way he took away her mother's home, her mother's birthright, her mother's chance at living a normal life! Rage bottled up from when Toj had lied to them boiled over, causing her fingertips to spark and send little jolts of lightning up the Tin Man's arm and across his chest. The other Munchkins drew back in alarm as their leader and enemy battled over possession of the broom.

The uncoordinated display of magic sapped Fiyeraba's strength quickly; the lightning died down, and Fiyeraba dropped the broom. Her vision swam, threatening to pass out, but Fiyeraba fought her exhaustion, struggling to a sitting position.

"Give…that back…" she said pathetically. The Tin Man stared down at her with disturbing calm, not at all like he had just been shocked by magic lightning.

"You're in no position to demand anything, Little Witch," the Tin Man said before turning to the Vixerlis.

"Ask the butler downstairs to find things these girls will need for the night. He needs to make arrangements for their rooming and dinner. I'll write to Lady Glinda of their capture. If we move them, it gives them more chances to escape."

"But…the girl's magic…" The other man said. The Tin Man smiled, barely noticed by anyone.

"I can handle the magic. She can't hurt me." Fiyeraba lay on the floor a moment longer just to make sure she had found the right name. It had to be his name. The other woman, so light of an imprint she could barely feel her, had shouted that name over and over. That had to have been her aunt, Nessarose. She had been so hard to feel, so different from Elphaba. They were sisters; shouldn't they have been more similar?

"There's more than one way… to hurt a person," Fiyeraba glared at the Tin Man. _Please let this be the right name… _"Boq."

The silence became deafening. The Tin Man stared at Fiyeraba, not even squeaking in his stillness. She met his eyes, challenging him to question how she knew his name. She was born after the Melting, and Boq had been turned to tin before that. The perfect trick.

"Sir?" Toj's father said anxiously. "Who's this Boq?" The Tin Man turned to him, breaking the tension.

"Nobody," he said flatly. "He's nobody. Go and do what I asked; there will be a reward for the capture of these two." Fiyeraba blinked. Had she said the wrong name? Maybe Boq was just a servant, not the person turned to tin. But she had gotten a reaction; the Tin Man had reacted to the name Boq. The door shut behind the two Munchkins and the Tin Man rounded on Fiyeraba.

"How did you know my name?" he demanded, pointing Fiyeraba's broom at her. Fiyeraba smiled slightly. She had said the right name.

"You look like a 'Boq'," Fiyeraba said, watching Boq struggle with this turn of events; she _randomly_ knew his name. "Boq is a nice name, don't you think? A nice name for a nice person. I like finding nice names." Fiyeraba managed to stand again, walking along the shelves and idly examining the books. "Like Elphaba. Or Nessarose." Fiyeraba turned to look at him.

"But those are girl's names." Fully improvising, Fiyeraba turned to Grinnie, pulling slightly at the gold chain around her neck. _Maybe Boq knew my father, Scarecrow and Tin Man…_ "What are some nice guy names?" Grinnie saw Fiyeraba's hint and played along.

"What about…Fiyero?" Grinnie said. Fiyeraba smiled approvingly, sliding down the wall to sit.

"I like that one," Grinnie limped over to Fiyeraba, allowing herself to fall down into the older girl's lap. They both looked back at Boq, now completely horrified by the whole scene. They were throwing around names of his old classmates so casually, they must know! They must know!

But they couldn't know. They were little children, with no idea of what happened before the Melting. _Complete coincidence…_ Fiyeraba thought. _The perfect thing to keep him confused._

"Grinnie and I are good drawers," Fiyeraba said. "Could we draw you? It would only take a minute." Grinnie looked up at Fiyeraba, hiding her surprise well. Fiyeraba couldn't draw something to save her life. Grinnie could, on the other hand, but why tell Boq they were both artists?

Boq stood there for a moment, but retrieved a sheet of paper and two pencils for them. Fiyeraba smiled, and began writing lightly at the top of the page the instant he turned his back.

_The names worked. He might slip up. If we can find a way to tell sad stories, I think we can make him drop the broom._ Grinnie read the words quickly, taking a few seconds away from her drawing to respond.

_It won't work if I go. He's smart. I'm too slow. _Fiyeraba blinked. Grinnie couldn't go? Grinnie would have to go, she couldn't leave her behind.

_I won't leave you. I'll find a way._

_You have to. You'll go faster without me. _Fiyeraba looked at Grinnie for a minute as she continued writing. _You might only have a clock-tick to go. I'll help distract Tin Man._

_You're sure you want me to leave you? _Grinnie nodded, continuing to draw Boq. The little paper conversation was over. Carefully, Fiyeraba turned the pencil around, erasing all traces of the silent conspiracy.


	14. Escapings

**Disclaimer: Okay. Wicked? Not mine. Boq? Completely derranged. I don't want reviews saying 'WAIT! ------- is really -----?!'. Because that's not how the story goes. So Boq is completely derranged for now. It might clear up. Might not. Read on! -LostOzian**

* * *

It was unnerving to have the two girls there, but Boq did his best to focus on his work. Their presence was strange, as if someone had turned back the clocks to a time when he would have been considered an intruder. The way the two sat there- finishing their drawing, reading a book together, quietly devouring the dinner brought for them- constantly reminded him of two other girls who had grown up in this house. The smaller girl was even crippled, the way her every move was awkward. They were right at home here. 

Boq's hand shook slightly as he held his pen, about to sign for some important grant or another; the meaning had already been forgotten in his distracted state. He stared at his hand in amazement. He never shook! Was it really that strange to have two fugitives, two outlaws about to be transported and sentenced? No.

It was who they reminded him of that was so strange. Especially the black-haired one. She was almost an exact copy of Elphaba, his old classmate, thirteen years dead. He steeled himself with that memory; he had his revenge already, there was nothing that could change it. Little copies show up? Did that mean she was back? No. Death was permanent.

_But Elphaba saved you from death. _He realized. He had been standing on Death's doorstep, about to die, and she had kept him alive. Was death really forever if that could have happened?

_Maybe…maybe this is how she came back to life. _Boq set down the pen, afraid that his signature would betray his fear. _She dies, only to be reborn in a little girl. So she can keep being a Witch. She can keep causing pain. I'm sure there's some spell for that._

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed said Witch stand. He looked up, letting her know he was still watching her. She raised her hands in surrender, lifting the two nightgowns brought by the butler.

"Time for bed, Grinnie," the girl looked to her companion. The littler girl pulled herself up the shelves, teetering slightly as she stood. _Like Nessa did, when she showed me she could walk. _Of course! If Elphaba could have a little reincarnation, why couldn't Nessa? His captor for years here in the body of a small girl, even more helpless than before. The Elphaba copy turned to Boq.

"Could we change in private? Or…do you like little girls?" Boq froze, staring at the new Elphaba.

"You're too young to know about things like that," he told her. Yet more proof that this was Elphaba, back from the beyond. Elphaba folded her arms.

"Of course, it was silly of me to assume you could…y'know," she smiled knowingly. "It would just make us feel better if we could change in private." Boq searched her face for a moment; it would be just like Elphaba to try and come up with some trick, but she wasn't betraying anything. Boq tightened his grip on her new broomstick, checking the window to make sure it wouldn't open. Watching Elphaba the whole time, Boq shut the door, his paranoia finally starting to subside. There was no way to escape, and he had her broom.

A few moments passed in silence as Boq privately gloated over his victory over Elphaba's spirit. Then he heard someone speak inside the room.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Grinnie." It was Elphaba. She was apologizing to her sister. "I deserve to get caught, but you…you shouldn't be here."

"Don't apologize! It's all right. I never would have wanted to be anywhere else." There was the briefest of pauses. "I can still remember my first day in the orphanage. Helene's bandages were still on, and I could barely move. All of the other children were playing and running, but you…" There was another pause. "You gave up playing and running to help me."

"Grinnie, anyone would have done the same. I can still remember seeing you, legs bloody from where your father whipped you, dragging yourself through the streets. You almost died. You needed me." Boq willed himself to stay still. Grinnie had been abused?! Would Elphaba have allowed that to happen to her sister's new form? How could he think of Grinnie as Nessa; Nessa was a scheming, spoiled brat, determined to get what she wanted, but Grinnie… all Grinnie had wanted was a friend.

"And I needed you," Elphaba's little duplicate continued.

"You…you don't need me at all," Grinnie started crying, her small sobs reaching out in the hallway. "I wanted to help you find your family so badly, that I didn't realize all I was to you was a burden. And now I've gotten you caught."

"No, it wasn't your fault, Grinnie. It was that Toj boy. He betrayed us. I thought he would be a friend, but he was just using us. Though I can't change any of that." There was another pause, broken only by Grinnie's tears. "I have to face the punishment for what I've done."

"You haven't done anything!" Grinnie cried. Boq could imagine the expression on her face; so much pain, guilt. It hurt him to even picture it. "All you wanted was to find your parents!" Find her parents? Elphaba's parents were dead by now; he was governor, after all. But wouldn't Elphaba's reincarnation want the same things Elphaba had?

"I…guess I'm not meant to have my dreams come true," she said. "I mean, Glinda's going to extreme lengths to keep me from finding them. She just doesn't realize what I want is different from what she wants. There's nothing I can do. It hurts, but..." Elphaba trailed off.

_Wait a clock-tick! _Boq thought. _That's not Elphaba! That's…me! _Yes, that was what his situation had been exactly! Imprisoned, kept from your dreams just because of one other person wants. Sympathy turned to empathy. Regardless of whether they were finished changing or not, Boq flung open to door to see the two girls. Grinnie was completely changed, the other having not even started. Boq ran to them, drawing them tight in a hug.

The broom clattered to the floor behind him.

"I'm so sorry," Boq said. "You shouldn't have had to go through all that pain!" He placed a hand on the black-haired one's shoulder gently, looking her in the eyes. They were red from withheld tears.

"I promise I'll try to convince Glinda that you're not a wicked witch, okay?" The girl nodded.

"Thank you, sir." Grinnie caught him with a hug in the chest, her tears openly flowing.

"That's…That's so good of you!" she cried as Boq returned her hug. Grinnie really was a darling girl, intelligent, adorable... she should have a better life than this.

Running footsteps interrupted his thoughts. He turned just in time to see the end of her black hair whoosh around the corner. Grinnie held on tighter, maybe even oblivious to the fact her friend was running away. Boq pulled her off of him quickly, panicking. He had let his guard down! Now, she was escaping…_with the broom_!

"Run, Fiyeraba!" Grinnie shouted after her. _Fiyer…aba?_ "Run!" Boq tore out into the hallway, seeing her turn a corner, trying to go full speed in the unfamiliar passages. Boq kept layering on speed, pushing the name puzzle out of his mind for the moment. He was gaining…gaining… She reached the entry hall, flung open the door. Boq made one final lunge, but she mounted the broom and took off in one fluid movement. He fell down into the dirt of the front garden, Fiyeraba hovering twenty feet above him. Pulling his head up from the dirt, Boq stared at her.

"Fiyeraba?" he asked, barely believing it. Is that why she looked so much like Elphaba? Not a reincarnation, but…

"I'll hate you forever for what you've done to her," Fiyeraba said darkly. Boq struggled to his feet, staring up at Fiyeraba. Fiyeraba. Fiyero. Elphaba. Could it be true?

Fiyeraba started, looking past Boq at something else in the air. She turned and shot off into the night. Boq turned to see Glinda's bubble descending, finally touching ground and bursting with a faint pop. Glinda was watching Fiyeraba fly away. Boq stared at his feet.

"I'm sorry I called you here to see this, Lady Glinda." Boq said quietly. "I didn't know she could escape."

"We should never underestimate her," Glinda said, expressionless. "I don't blame you." Boq looked up. How much did Glinda know about Fiyeraba? Could she tell him if it was true?

"She knew names," Boq said. "Names of people from my past." Glinda looked at him curiously, the barest hint of interest puncturing her indifference. The Tin Man's past had been one conversational taboo in their business relationship.

"Names?" Glinda asked. Boq looked at her.

"I wasn't always made of tin," he said. "Once, I was a college student. Human student. She knew names of people from my class." Boq looked back to where Fiyeraba had flown away. "Nessarose. Elphaba. Fiyero. And she knew my name: Boq." Glinda's demeanor finally shattered.

"B-Boq?!" she exploded, starting to rant. "It was you this whole time?! How could you! You were her friend, and you went and hunted her anyway, like those other idiots did? Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion! You're no better than they are!"

"Glinda, please calm yourself." Boq said tiredly. "The issue now is, how did she know my name? And why does she hate me?" Glinda stood for a minute, taking deep breaths.

"She hates you because you were a part of the Witch Hunt." Glinda said. "It's because of who her parents were. And who her mother is." There was no way around it. Fiyeraba had escaped, leaving Boq here to ask questions that deserved to be answered.

"You don't mean…" Boq started.

"Let's go inside," Glinda said. "There's a lot to explain."


	15. Plottings

**Eep! Short chapter! Sorry... But it updated quickly. It's more foreshadow/and-here's-how-this-happpened than story. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Everything but Fiyeraba and Grinnie belongs to Gregory Maguire. And I promise the next chapter will be good and long. -hopes-. -LostOzian**

* * *

Fiyeraba hovered in the air for a moment, looking back to the small spark of light that was the governor's house. She had left Grinnie behind. It felt strange, to be flying solo instead of having her best friend by her side, but she could move faster now. Grinnie was right. It was for the better. 

Fiyeraba began circling higher and higher, the wind in her hair soothing her. She was free now. She was free to do what she wanted. She wanted to find her parents. She looked down at the ground, forests and fields spread out beneath her. Looking at it from the air, she could feel a wide trail, practically a highway with the number of times it had been traveled by her mother and father, together. Fiyero's imprint was the same as it had been at the gates of the City, so it was after her mother had 'melted'.

Fiyeraba was about to follow it when she noticed the climate as the two progressed. When it started to get colder, they moved further south. Fiyeraba smiled in the air. A migration. Spend the summers up north in the Gillikin, winters south in Quadling Country. She'd be running in circles.

She turned the broom and headed north, following the path upstream.

* * *

"And so she's alive," Boq said disgustedly as Glinda finished the story of how she had found Fiyeraba and Grinnie. "I had thought she was gone for good when Dorothy melted her!" Boq stood and started pacing through his anger, Glinda shying back slightly. Boq wasn't recognizable as her old schoolmate anymore. Too much had changed about who he was, all of it completely unrelated to his new form . 

"We need to make pronouncements!" Boq was saying. "Alert the public! We should have guessed she would try and trick us like this!"

"Boq," Glinda said softly. "She wanted to end it all. Have you heard a single rumor all these years she might be alive? She hasn't been doing anything." Boq looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.

"She had a _baby_, for Oz sake! I'd say she's been doing a lot!" Boq said, before adding in a mutter, "Makes you wonder if the Little Witch has any _siblings_…" Glinda stood abruptly, intending to defend her friend's honor.

"We'd never know the true story unless we asked her!" Glinda said. "All we know is we need to stop Fiyeraba before she finds Elphie, or else there'll be another Witch Hunt, and-"

"Exactly," Boq said, cutting Glinda off. "There'll be another Witch Hunt. Exactly the point." Glinda stared at him.

"Boq, please," Glinda said. "This is Elphie we're talking about." Boq shook his head, a slight smile on his metal face.

"You still use that ridiculous nickname for her," Boq said, scolding. "Don't you see? _Elphaba _died a long time ago. _Boq _died, _Galinda_ died, years ago!" Glinda's eyes widened. What in Oz was he talking about? "Now, I'm the Tin Man. You're Glinda the Good. And _she's_ the Wicked Witch of the West, alive and well and waiting to resume her evil ways." Glinda stood, moving to leave the study. So he didn't believe in Elphaba anymore. She paused in the doorway for a moment, not turning back.

"Glad to see you still have a heart, _Boq_," and she left. Boq tried to brush off the comment, looking to Nessa's old chair, long ago stripped of its wheels. The chair he had lay in, dying, as Elphaba decided to change him into a monster as terrible as she was. He would complete what he thought he had finished thirteen years ago, no matter what.

Soft singing reached him from the room above, a light nonsensical tune. He glanced up at the ceiling, the second floor more effective at keeping Grinnie imprisoned than any amount of guards. Of course. The plan had almost worked before, if that idiot Fiyero hadn't traded places with her in death. Fiyeraba had her own 'Fiyero' that would be willing to do the same.

Her mother.

Boq pulled various books off the shelf, checking for the laws necessary to make his plan work. Everything was already in place. Boq smiled slightly, remembering how the two had sat on the floor like siblings.

_Use her sister…_he thought as he looked back up at the ceiling. It was a perfect trap. He didn't care what happened to Fiyeraba.

So long as Elphaba didn't survive.

* * *

The task was starting to appear hopeless. Fiyeraba had been flying for hours in the dark, her progress slow for fear of flying right over her parents. Exhaustion finally caught up with her, causing the trail to blur in her mind. She knew she was close, but how close? Minutes? Hours? Days? 

Fiyeraba stumbled to a landing, the broom nosing the ground and pitching her forward. She looked around briefly. It was a small village, with oddly sized houses and buildings. Picking up the broom, she walked a little ways, trying to find something that would tell her where she was. There were no signs as far as she could tell, no real street names.

_I'm lost, _Fiyeraba realized as she slumped against a particularly short building, its door maybe two feet high. She was completely alone now that she had left Grinnie, and was hungry and tired.

_Sleep, _she thought, lying down to face the wall. _Tomorrow should be clearer. _Arranging the cloak so that it covered her and the broom, she fell asleep in the street.


	16. Visions

**Disclaimer: Wicked is not mine. I promised a longer chapter, and here it is! It gets pretty angsty, sorry about that, but Fiyeraba needed to get scared. Yeah. Read it and see. Favoriting is the sincerest form of flattery. -LostOzian**

* * *

Fiyeraba woke to find something that felt like a block of wood shaking her side.

"Elphaba?" a voice said, old and weary. Fiyeraba pulled the cloak off her face, staring up at and elderly Goat and a bright sunny morning.

"No," the Goat said, turning away and murmuring an apology. Fiyeraba struggled to her feet.

"Wait! Don't go!" She caught the Goat by one of his forelegs. "How do you know Elphaba?" The Goat blinked at her in surprise.

"My student," he said. "Years ago. Late," He started off on his way again, leaving Fiyeraba standing there, completely confused. The Goat was her teacher? And what did he mean by 'late'? Was he late for something?

"No! Sir! Excuse me!" She caught him again. He was starting to look annoyed at her. "Elphaba is my mother." She said, trying not to feel regretful in saying it. If this was Elphaba's old teacher, then her secret should be safe with him. He pointed a shaking hoof at her.

"D…daughter?" he stammered, and Fiyeraba nodded enthusiastically. The Goat laughed, then took Fiyeraba by the arm. "Come." Fiyeraba stumbled after him, barely remembering to grab the broom. Fiyeraba looked around, taking in the sight of the small village in daylight. There wasn't another human in sight, the streets completely full of Animals of all species going about their business.

"Where are we going?" she asked. The Goat looked at her knowingly.

"You'll see," He led her to a house, the roof slightly lower than most average human roofs. A much younger female Goat was sweeping the front steps. She looked up as Fiyeraba and the Goat approached.

"Ah! Dr. Dillamond!" She leaned the broom against the wall and stepped out to meet them. "Did you have a nice walk? And who's this you have with you?" Dr. Dillamond pressed his other hoof against Fiyeraba's back gently, a cue for her to speak.

"Uh… I'm looking for my parents," Fiyeraba began, not sure what Dr. Dillamond wanted her to say. "And I fell asleep in the street, and… Dr. Dillamond called me Elphaba. That's my mother's name." The nanny Goat stared at her a moment.

"Well! We're actually quite good friends with a certain Elphaba, but I've known several people to have same names… Could you describe her to me?" Fiyeraba looked down, the hopelessness of her task returning. Of course other people might have been named Elphaba. Who would know that Elphaba had been the name of the Witch of the West as well?

"I've never met her, but I know she's my mother. It's the only thing that makes sense." Fiyeraba pulled Fiyero's birth pendant from her dress and showed it to the Nanny. "Fiyero Tiggular is my father, and I think they're together. Thought everyone else thinks they're dead." The nanny Goat smiled at the pendant.

"That's our Elphaba, then," she said softly. "Come inside, dearie. You're welcome here." Dr. Dillamond practically beamed at Fiyeraba as she was brought inside the low-ceiling house.

Everything was absolutely normal, except adapted for Goats. Nothing in the house required opposable thumbs; not even cups and dishware. It was all rather ingenious, straps and slots and holes in different places to make it possible for use by Animals. They were really quite smart that way.

"Now, you are aware of Elphaba and Fiyero's current position," the nanny Goat said as she started water boiling on the stove.

"They're on the run," Fiyeraba said. "They can't come out into the open because Elphaba's skin is green and Fiyero's a scarecrow."

"Spot on," the nanny Goat said, wiping her hooves on a dishtowel before turning to Fiyeraba. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I am Noquec, just Noquec is fine, and I'm sure you've discovered Dr. Dillamond's name," Thankful the two Goats weren't out to get her, Fiyeraba nodded at each of them.

"Pleased to meet you," she said politely. "I'm Fiyeraba." Dr. Dillamond nodded back. Noquec smiled.

"We're pleased to meet you, too, and I'm sure Elphaba and Fiyero will be when they finally get here," Fiyeraba stared at her as Dr. Dillamond moved toward the door.

"Going to wait," he said. Noquec nodded.

"By all means, Doctor. I'm sure Fiyeraba can help me prepare lunch." Lunch? She had slept that long?

_Oh well…though what was Noquec talking about?_ Fiyeraba wondered, standing in the kitchen as Noquec began to pull out various cooking devices.

"Noquec," Fiyeraba began. "What do you mean when Elphaba and Fiyero finally get here?" Noquec placed a cabbage, still in a paper bag, in water to wash off the dirt.

"Well, Dr. Dillamond was Elphaba's teacher while she was at university. He even had Fiyero in his class for a few weeks." Noquec placed the cabbage beside her and set the paper bag on the windowsill to dry out. "They come to visit him for as long as they can every time they're in the Gillikin, though they can never stay in one place." Fiyeraba looked around for something to do, but Noquec waved a hoof at her.

"No, no, dearie, you're our guest. Little white lie about you helping. Sorry," Fiyeraba nodded, leaning against the counter.

"Though…why does Dr. Dillamond talk the way he does?" Fiyeraba said. "It's… like he's only half-Animal." Noquec dried her hooves on a dishtowel before turning to Fiyeraba.

"A long time ago, Dr. Dillamond could talk as well as any of us, maybe even better. He was highly educated, an esteemed professor. A strong advocate of Animal Rights, as was Elphaba. I think they bonded over that common belief. Though people in the Wizard's regime didn't like Dr. Dillamond…speaking out. They revoked his license to teach, and took him away. Nobody knew what happened to him, until a few years ago." Noquec paused a moment. Fiyeraba waited respectfully.

"They put him in a cage," she said at last. Fiyeraba's eyes widened. Cages had been abolished by Glinda in the first years of her rule, and seen for what they were; cruel means of torture. "When an Animal is kept in a cage, he is slowly reverted to an animal. Dr. Dillamond spent easily three, four years in that cage. I think it was fourteen years ago, Elphaba released him and the other occupants of the cage, the notorious flying Monkeys." Fiyeraba nodded. That's why the flying Monkeys pledged loyalty to her mother. She had freed them.

"Dr. Dillamond had wandered for a little while, before finally finding Cykuf, this village. My husband and I took him in, trying to help him learn to speak again. A few years after that, we discovered Elphaba and Fiyero passed this way every year. They now make regular visits, even though we're sure Dr. Dillamond is back to his usual intelligence." Fiyeraba paused a moment.

"Then… why are his sentences broken up?" Noquec paused.

"Words are powerful things," Noquec said at last. "Dr. Dillamond had them taken away from him because of what he was saying. I think…I think nowadays he's gotten into the habit of saying everything with as few words as possible to make sure he gets the complete thought out, and there's not enough time to silence him. Sometimes it's a bit confusifying, so I try to… well, supply the other words he was thinking."

Fiyeraba turned away, looking out the window. So Elphaba and Fiyero were due to come here? She was just in time!

_Late…_Dr. Dillamond had said. He was talking about her parents!

"Are they late?" Fiyeraba asked suddenly. "Should my parents be here by now?" Noquec nodded.

"Yes, actually. We're usually able to predict when they arrive within half a day. But they're a full day late. I just hope nothing's happened to them." Fiyeraba jumped up.

"I have to go find them," Fiyeraba said quickly. "I'm sorry I can't stay for lunch, but-" Noquec placed a hoof on Fiyeraba's shoulder.

"Fiyeraba," Noquec said. "I'm sorry I said anything. It's a silly fear, one I should have discounted a long time ago. Fiyero and Elphaba will come. If something had happened to them, they would have been discovered and we would have heard about it." Noquec leaned in a bit closer.

"And one thing you must know about your parents is that they never die when they're supposed to." Noquec smiled, and Fiyeraba couldn't help grinning. To her dismay, she yawned as well.

"By Oz, Fiyeraba! You sleep until midday and you're still tired?" Fiyeraba looked down sheepishly.

"That was the first full night's sleep I've had in a while," Fiyeraba said.

"All right then, you should definitely rest up. We heard about the whole 'Little Witch' fiasco, and you need your rest in case something happens. No, no, nothing probably will happen," Noquec said upon seeing Fiyeraba's face. "But living with a rehabilitated Animal and expecting visits from 'the Wicked Witch of the West' taught me to be cautious." She opened a door, revealing a small bedroom.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll bring in lunch when it's ready. Admittedly, we weren't expecting you, so I need to pull together something your stomach can handle." Fiyeraba said something along the lines of 'thank you', before falling onto the bed and allowing herself to go back to sleep.

* * *

_Fiyeraba stood in the crowd, angling for a better view of the hastily built gallows. An execution of a traitor. Not something you see every day. And they were going to hang whoever it was; they wanted to make an impression all right. _

_Fiyeraba pushed people out of the way, trying to move to the front of the crowd. A man began to read the charges of the one to be executed._

_"Grinella Tideron, you have been charged and found guilty of treason against Lady Glinda the Good by the Ozian High Court of Munchkinland. You have also been found guilty of assisting in the escape of a traitor by the Supreme Court of the Munchkins. Therefore, for both crimes you are sentenced to hang by the neck until dead, this day the seventeenth of August." _

_Fiyeraba had a clear view of gallows now. Grinnie was standing in the middle, a thick rope noose around her neck. She was crying, the wood planks in front of her already splattered with tears. Her legs shook with keeping still; falling would mean to hang herself. _

_"I didn't want to do anything wrong!" her small voice screamed at those who would listen. "I wanted to help a friend!" _

_"By helping your friend you helped perpetuate wickedness." Fiyeraba turned. Boq was striding through the crowd calmly, approaching the gallows. Grinnie stared at him, eyes wide with fear. "You knowingly helped her, knowing her intentions for evil."_

_"She just wanted to find her parents!" Grinnie tried to shout at him, but the crowd roared and cut off her words. Boq climbed the gallows until he was standing beside her._

_"It is a sad day when children must be held responsible for their crimes," Boq turned to the crowd. "But we can never underestimate their power. The Little Witch is barely twelve years old, and yet she is quickly becoming a threat to our peaceful Oz! If we leave those who assist her alive, who knows what she would be capable of?" _

_The crowd shouted approval. Boq gave a quick nod to the man who read the crimes. He pulled a lever, Grinnie screamed- _

* * *

"NO!" Fiyeraba shouted, bolting awake. A…dream. But it was true. It was going to happen. She didn't know why she knew, but if she didn't act soon, they were going to hang Grinnie. Fiyeraba jumped out of bed, bolting into the main room. An eight year old! Boq would let a child hang under his rule! 

Fiyeraba stopped short. Dr. Dillamond was still awake, sitting on the living room sofa and staring out the window. He turned to her slowly.

"What is troubling?" he asked wisely. Fiyeraba swallowed.

"They… they're going to kill one of my friends, because of something I did. She's going to be hanged on the seventeenth." Fiyeraba said, her eyes welling with tears. "She didn't do anything! It was me! If they want me, they should punish me!"

"They want you," Dr. Dillamond said. "So they set a trap." Fiyeraba stared at him. That was more words in a sentence than she had ever heard him say. "If you go to save her, you run into their trap. She hangs on the seventeenth?"

Fiyeraba nodded, fearing that if she spoke Dr. Dillamond would never speak to her again.

"Wait," he said. "Time on your side. Make a plan." He held one forearm up for Fiyeraba to come to him. She obliged, huddling against the chilling memory. It felt so real, the tears on Grinnie's cheek, her last desperate scream, it was almost impossible not to go and save her now.

"Wait," Dr. Dillamond said again. The two just sat there, watching the moon.

And against her better judgment, Fiyeraba stayed.


	17. Reunions

Fiyeraba woke the next morning next to Dr. Dillamond in the living room. He was still asleep, so Fiyeraba sat there, motionless, as she thought over what she had seen and what he had said. If she remembered correctly, today was the sixteenth. Grinnie would be hanged tomorrow if she didn't do something. She tried to think of some sort of plan. Boq wouldn't let Grinnie out of his sight, not after how Fiyeraba had escaped. She needed a distraction. Something big. No, something beyond big, something huge. But what?

Noquec opened her door, peeking out at Fiyeraba and Dr. Dillamond. She smiled slightly.

"He really grows on you," Noquec said. "Come on; he sleeps heavily. Let's get you out of there." Noquec lifted Dr. Dillamond's arm gently, helping Fiyeraba scoot out. She looked at the old Goat for a minute.

"Noquec," she said. "Last night, I had a dream… thought it was more like a vision." Noquec stared at her a moment. Fiyeraba took a deep breath. "I saw that B… the Tin Man had sentenced my friend to be hanged tomorrow." Noquec started.

"Hanged? There hasn't been a hanging in well over fifty years." Fiyeraba shook her head.

"That's not the worst of it," Fiyeraba said. "Grinnie's eight years old." Noquec let out a small scream.

"Eight! She's eight and being hanged?!" Fiyeraba stopped her quickly. She wasn't sure exactly how soundly Dr. Dillamond slept.

"Will be hanged," Fiyeraba corrected. "Tomorrow. Last night, I was ready to run off and save her, but I found Dr. Dillamond, and I told him about it. And… he convinced me to stay."

"And that it was all a bad dream?" Noquec said.

"No," Fiyeraba looked back at Dr. Dillamond. "That I should wait. That I had time to think of something." Fiyeraba smiled sadly. "It was the most he had ever said to me at once." She tried to remember the exact words. _They want you. So they set a trap._ Noquec sighed.

"I'll get breakfast started," Noquec said. "You missed lunch, so you must be starving." Noquec searched through the cabinets, pulling down various vegetables and things many humans would consider inedible.

"Oz, spite it," Noquec said as she emptied the last cabinet. "I barely have anything you can stomach. I need to go out." She picked up a knitted bag from beside the door. "Promise you'll stay out of trouble while I'm gone? You're free to look at anything you want, but try not to wake Dr. Dillamond. It takes a lot to do it, but be careful."

Noquec left. Fiyeraba looked around the house, experimenting with opening things and using doors without using her thumbs. As interesting as it was to see how the Goats had adapted things, Fiyeraba got bored quickly.

Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes after Noquec left, Dr. Dillamond woke up. He stared at Fiyeraba for a moment with hauntingly wise eyes.

"Still leaving?" he asked her. Fiyeraba shook her head. He smiled. "Wait for parents."

"They will come, right?" Fiyeraba asked nervously. "Noquec was saying they might not." Dr. Dillamond looked out the window briefly, before smiling.

"Nothing ever certain," he said. "But always hope." He stood shakily, steadying himself against the wall. "Back soon," he assured Fiyeraba as he left the house.

_I'm… I'm alone now._ Fiyeraba realized. The house felt even emptier than it had with both Goats gone. Why had Dr. Dillamond suddenly left? Had he seen something? Fiyeraba turned away from the door, looking at the Animal house. After flying, Fiyeraba wasn't sure she wanted to live in a real house ever again. It didn't hold the same kind of solidity it used to; with her new title, Fiyeraba was technically a criminal. She couldn't expect to be able to come to any home ever again.

"I still don't see why you want us to-" a woman said, but she was hushed. Fiyeraba whipped around. Dr. Dillamond had returned, leading a woman and funny-looking man. Both had their eyes closed. Fiyeraba stopped short.

The man was a scarecrow.

The woman had green skin.

"What do you want to see most?" Dr. Dillamond asked slowly, a surprisingly complete sentence. The woman made a face, still keeping her eyes closed.

"I have to pick one?" Dr. Dillamond looked at Fiyeraba, beckoning for her to come forward. Fiyeraba's legs started shaking. All this dreaming, searching, and now they were finally here. She could barely believe it. Should she believe it? She took a few steps, within arm's reach of Elphaba. Dr. Dillamond guided one of her arms to touch Fiyeraba's face.

"Oz, who is that?" she said. Fiyeraba took her mother's hand in her own, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was actually _here_. Not a faint trail, not a glimpse in a mirror, but she was here! Fiyeraba fumbled with the chain around her neck, trying to get the necklace off without having to let go of Elphaba's hand. She pressed the heavy gold-set gems into Elphaba's hand, wrapping her own fingers around it.

"Fiyero!" she exclaimed. "That's…" Elphaba opened her eyes in spite of herself, staring at Fiyeraba. "It worked!" She fell to her knees, taking Fiyeraba in a huge hug.

"Fae, what's going on?" Fiyero opened his eyes to see a mass of black, broken by flashes of green and pinkish skin.

"It's her, Yero," Elphaba said through joyful tears. "She made it!" Fiyero knelt beside the two of them, trying to separate his wife from his daughter. The two stared at him for a moment as he looked between faces.

"She looks exactly like you, Fae," he said before breaking out into laughter and starting another group hug. Fiyeraba didn't ever want to stop, just to lose herself in this moment with her parents, the parents she had dreamed of ever since she knew what it meant to be an orphan.

"I'm so, so, sorry," Elphaba kept saying over and over again. "We had to leave you; we weren't even able to give you a proper name-"

"I think you'd like my name," Fiyeraba said. Elphaba and Fiyero pulled back a little bit, looking at her curiously.

"What'd they name you?" Fiyero asked as Fiyeraba broke into a wide grin.

"Fiyeraba." The hug started up again.

"It's perfect!" Elphaba said. "Absolutely perfect!" The three of them stood, the initial surprise of realizing that their family was together beginning to subside.

"It was actually kind of scary," Fiyero said. "A day ago, Fae gets one of her freakified visions of you about to go into her old poppy field. _Then_ she goes completely nuts trying to put together some sort of magic without the Grimmerie to go and save you. The snowflake, transporting it, instructions…" Elphaba's face flushed a deeper shade of green. "Out cold for almost a whole day, with the energy it took. Scared me senseless."

"Wait…visions?" The happiness rushed out of her. Elphaba nodded.

"Sometimes they're a good thing, sometimes bad. Especially when you misinterpret."

"I think I inherited them," Fiyeraba began. "Last night, I dreamed that my friend would be hanged for something I did. And Boq knows it was something I did, and he's letting it happen. Except it was more than a dream, I knew it was true." Elphaba stopped. "They're going to hang her tomorrow."

"We have to go," Elphaba said, searching around. "You made a broom, Fiyeraba, didn't you? Where is it?" Fiyeraba sighed satisfactorily. Finally, something would be done.

"Wait, wait, wait, Fae!" Fiyero grabbed on to her arm, and ended up being dragged around for a few steps until she slowed down. "You remember what happened last time you went running off on a rescue mission?" He gestured excessively at himself.

"Trap," Dr. Dillamond spoke up. Fiyero nodded at him.

"It was a trap last time, it's probably a trap again." Fiyero said seriously. "And I don't want anyone else strawified." Elphaba looked down.

"I had to," she said quietly. "It was the only way to-" Fiyero lifted her face.

"I don't blame you," he said. "But think things through. This time, we have advantages." Elphaba looked at him.

"What do we have?" she asked. "Boq has guards, immortality, the _law_, technically-" Fiyero stopped her.

"We have time," he said. "We have the element of surprise."

"We have the Grimmerie," Fiyeraba added, pulling the heavy book out of her bag.

"And we'll have a plan." Fiyero said finally. "We should be able to pull this off without anyone getting hurt." Elphaba looked form Fiyero to Fiyeraba, won over to their optimism.

"All right then," she said, sitting down on the sofa. "What can we come up with?"


	18. Distractions

**Disclaimer: Another day, another chapter, and Wicked still does not belong to me. **

* * *

Glinda willed her bubble faster, racing the sunset to reach Boq. What did he think he was doing? Grinnie was a child, and he had let her be tried as an adult! The mansion raced toward her at a surprising speed, her outrage fueling the bubble's journey. A child! He had become a heartless monster, and he just didn't know it. Well, someone needed to set that straight, here and now.

Guards were posted at the front door of the house. _That _was new. Glinda barely waited for her bubble to touch ground before popping it, striding forward to the uniformed men.

"I must speak to the Tin Man," she ordered them. The guards remained motionless, glancing at each other. "Now!" Glinda added

"Lady Glinda, we can't leave our post," one of the men said. "In case the convict tries to escape."

"_She's a child, for Oz sake!_" Glinda screamed at them. "Not a criminal! I need to speak to the Tin Man, and I mean _now_!"

"Now, Glinda, is that any way to speak to loyal Munchkins?" A familiar sarcastic voice said behind her. Glinda whipped around to see Elphaba, almost exactly like she had seen her last.

"Elph-" Glinda was about to say her name when Elphaba leaped on her, turning her to face the guards and putting a knife to her throat. Elphaba hissed in her ear.

"I'm really sorry, but we have a rescue plan. Go along," Glinda barely got the message before Elphaba spoke to the guards again. "You heard her! Go get the Tin Man! I'll wait." The guards stared at Elphaba, horror-stricken, trying to come up with something to do.

"If you value Glinda's life, you'll bring the Tin Man!" Elphaba prompted. One of the guards ran inside the house, the other pointing his halberd at Elphaba. Elphaba returned to whispering.

"This is a distraction. Nobody will get hurt, I promise. Just play along."

"If any harm comes to Lady Glinda, Witch, you're dead," the guard tried to sound tough, but it was obvious he hadn't been expecting Elphaba to show up. Then again, who in Oz had? Elphaba had died according to them, thirteen years ago in a bucket of water.

"How do you know this isn't my spirit?" Elphaba goaded. "That it isn't my vengeful and immortal ghost, come to revenge upon those who wronged me?" Heavy metal footsteps interrupted the exchange. _That was quick…_ Elphaba thought as Boq burst through the front door and out into the yard. He looked from Elphaba to Glinda quickly.

"I told you Elphaba was dead," he said to Glinda. Elphaba didn't let the seemingly random comment throw a wrench in the master plan.

"You're starting to remind me of someone, Boq," Elphaba said, loosening her grip on Glinda slightly. "Obsessed with getting what you want, no matter what the cost to others."

"It doesn't matter who I remind you of!" Boq shouted at her, drawing his hands into punishing metal fists. "Because you fell for it! You're here, ready to be captured!" Elphaba tugged gently on the back of Glinda's head. Glinda threw back her head dramatically, adding an expression of pain to her face. _Perfect, Glinda…_

"That's beside the point, Boq," Elphaba said. "Take a good look at yourself and tell me who you're acting like." Boq stayed quiet, shaking his head at her defiantly. "You stand in her place and bend your power to make sure things are the way you want them. Don't ever forget _why_ I had to do what I did to you." Elphaba could see Boq starting to tremble, inexplicable terror working its way into his voice.

"I'm not like she was!" he kept shouting. "I am _nothing_ like her!"

"My dear, departed sister," Elphaba said. "This is exactly something she would do."

"Why are you even telling me that?" Boq demanded. "There's no escape for you! You don't have the broom, or your damn spell book! There's nothing you can do!" Elphaba brought the knife the tiniest bit closer to Glinda's throat. _Trust me, Glinda… Trust me…_

"Remember last time how I got out of this situation?" Elphaba said. She had really hoped she wouldn't have to play this card, but she needed to keep stalling.

"That won't work!" Boq said. "He's dead! He can't come and save you now!"

"Come on, Boq, if I could save _you_ I could save _him_…" Glinda turned around a little bit. _Oh, Oz… _Elphaba thought. She had forgotten Glinda didn't know Fiyero was alive.

"The… He was…" Boq stuttered. "But… It can't be! He helped us kill you!" Elphaba nodded slightly.

"Of course he did," Elphaba said, like she was explaining something to a slow child. "Which is why I'm standing here, alive and well."

"So you're not a vengeful spirit!" one of the guards said, the one that tried to exchange threats with Elphaba.

"No, I'm not," Elphaba noticed a small movement behind the house, a small figure rising into the air. _Success._ "And I don't intend on becoming one, either." The figure turned, flying toward the small party. Elphaba leaned close to Glinda's ear again.

"Brace yourself," Elphaba said, before thrusting Glinda forward toward Boq and the guards. Fiyeraba took the cue and zoomed in, helping her mother onto the broom and soaring high into the air.

"You might find yourself short a prisoner," Elphaba called back to Boq, one last goading comment. The mother-daughter team smiled as Boq raced back into the house to check on Grinnie, who wouldn't be there.

"Everything worked?" Fiyeraba asked.

"Perfectly," Elphaba confirmed, before the broom flew off to the meeting point. If things continued to go smoothly, they would have a newly reunited family and a saved child on their hands.

* * *

"The Witch…" one of the guards kept muttering over and over again. "_The _Witch…" Glinda rubbed at her neck, still slightly shaken from the knife's cold blade. But Elphaba had to. She did what she thought was right. She was right, but her methods were questionable.

Boq returned after a few minutes, in Glinda's mind practically whistling with rage.

"Ready every able-bodied man willing to fight," Boq commanded. "This won't be some wild goose chase this time. We'll make an organized sweep of the forest, fields; anywhere they could hide, searching for the Witch of the West, the Little Witch, and her criminal supporter." Glinda stared at Boq. He was serious. He would kill Elphie, Fiyeraba, even Grinnie right on the spot.

"That won't be necessary," Glinda said. "You fight fire with fire. Magic with magic." Boq looked at her suspiciously.

"Lady Glinda, please don't take offense, but if I remember correctly, your attempt at stopping the Little Witch with magic _failed_," Boq said curtly. Glinda stiffened.

"It's been thirteen years since the _Wicked_ Witch of the West possessed the Grimmerie," Glinda emphasized the word 'wicked'. "And the Little Witch has barely had it for two days. The other child has no magical talent at all. I have advantages." Boq's stare softened.

"So you know that she is dead. About time," Boq said, before adding with genuine concern, "You're sure you don't want accompaniment of any kind? I'd go with you," Glinda shook her head. The last thing Elphaba needed was Boq brought right to her.

"Its fine, Boq." Glinda said. "I'll move more quickly alone." Glinda conjured a bubble, slightly smaller than her usual cushy-travel bubble, and stepped inside. The bubble stayed close to the ground as she guided it in the direction Fiyeraba and Elphaba had taken. She had a few questions that needed answers.


	19. Interruptions

**Disclaimer: Wicked is not mine. Okay, this kind of happened mostly at the same time as the last chapter, but I needed to clear a few things up. Yeah... Just don't murder me. -LostOzian**

* * *

Grinnie sat against the wall of the study, holding her neck in her hands. They had sentenced her to hang, barely six hours earlier. What did it feel like to have a noose around your neck? Grinnie didn't want to find out. She hugged her arms around her, pretending that would make the bad things go away. She hadn't even done anything, and they were going to kill her! It wasn't fair; not like it's-not-your-turn, give-that-back unfair, this was truly unfair.

_They would hang Fiyeraba if they didn't hang you,_ Grinnie looked at Boq from the other end of the study. Did he really have a heart if he would let this happen? Grinnie didn't want to think about what else he would do 'if he had to'. She knew that he could easily find some way around the death sentence, but he chose not to.

Running footsteps in the hall made Grinnie and Boq look up. One of the new front guards burst into the room, his heavy breathing breaking up his message.

"Sir…the Witch is back!" he gasped. Boq stood.

"The Little Witch?" he pressed. Grinnie's breath caught. Fiyeraba had risked coming to save her?

"No! Full-blown Wicked Witch of the West, exactly the way she was before she was melted!" Grinnie's eyes widened. Fiyeraba's mother. Had the two found each other? Boq glared at Grinnie for a moment, trying to decide if he should execute his plan now.

"She has Lady Glinda at knifepoint," the guard added. Boq looked at him a moment before brushing by him on his way out the door. The guard followed, leaving Grinnie alone in the large room. Almost immediately, someone tapped on the window.

"Fiyeraba!" Grinnie exclaimed, trying to get closer to something to pull herself up on. Fiyeraba worked at the window for a moment, her lips moving in unrecognizable words, before pulling it open and guiding the broom inside.

"Grinnie, there's a distraction out front, but we don't have much time." Fiyeraba knelt down on the floor, searching for the spell they needed. _There,_ Fiyeraba sat down, running over the words in her head. She motioned for Grinnie to stand in front of her.

"This might hurt a little bit, I'm sorry," Fiyeraba said. Grinnie grabbed hold of the edge of the desk for support. Fiyeraba began her funny chanting, moving her arms over Grinnie's old shoes. A few seconds passed before Grinnie began to feel the spell take effect.

"Ow!" she said as the shoes started to warm beyond comfort. Grinnie dug her fingers into the desk to keep her from trying to run away from the pain. The old leather was roasting, hot like sun-baked bricks, almost on fire… "Ow, owowowowowowow!" Fiyeraba barely looked up until the spell stopped, the shoes beginning to cool down a little bit.

"Grinnie?" She stood and grabbed her friend's arms. "Grinnie, you okay?" Grinnie nodded, trying to ignore how much her feet hurt. Fiyeraba bent down, placing one arm behind Grinnie's knees and pressing down on her shoulder.

The knees bent.

"Fiyeraba!" Grinnie almost squealed, but Fiyeraba held up a hand. Fiyeraba helped Grinnie bend her legs a few more times before moving away.

"See if you can do it yourself," Fiyeraba asked. Nervously, Grinnie used the desk to help her bend down and up again. She smiled a true smile she hadn't used ever since Fiyeraba escaped. The trial, the public's spiteful reaction, the unfairness had taken all the reasons to smile out of life. Now, she could walk. Life had happiness again.

"Try walking," Fiyeraba said. "The shoes should help you get it right." Grinnie walked around the room once, the shoes helping her ankles and knees to bend at the right time. The best day of Grinnie's life. She even managed to skip a little at the end. Fiyeraba pulled Grinnie into a proud hug. Fiyeraba had wanted Grinnie to be able to walk just as much as Grinnie herself did, just to see the joy on her face.

"Now, we're going to get you out of here," Fiyeraba said. "I'm going to fly you out to the forest edge. Run in until you can't see the house, and then wait. Just don't move. I can't go with you because I need to get my mother, but my father should meet you."

"The Scarecrow," Grinnie said brightly. Fiyeraba nodded, smiling herself.

"Can't confuse him with anyone else," Fiyeraba joked, holding out the broom. Grinnie mounted herself, flinging one leg over the handle proudly. Fiyeraba mounted behind her, gently easing the broom out of the window. Closing it behind her, Fiyeraba brought Grinnie to the edge of the forest. Grinnie dismounted by herself, enjoying the new freedom walking brought her.

"I'll see you soon, Grinnie," Fiyeraba said as she rose back up into the air. "And remember; run!" The two girls turned away from each other, Grinnie running off into the forest at top speed, getting faster as she got used to her knew motion. Soon, the thick growth completely concealed the house, and Grinnie started to slow down.

_Now what? _she wondered, looking around at the forest. Nobody was here. Well, they hadn't set an exact meeting point, so she shouldn't have expected someone to be there immediately. Grinnie sat cross-legged for the first time, using the simple pleasure of being able to move her knees and ankles to keep her entertained and calm.

"Grinnie, was it?" A voice made her jump slightly. Grinnie stood- it was amazing how easy it was to stand now- to face the speaker, a simple scarecrow.

Fiyeraba's father. Grinnie smiled as he approached.

"For a long time, both of us thought you were dead," Grinnie began conversationally, just because she found it curious. "Until Fiyeraba stood on that pole they hung you up on, and she realized you had to be alive." Fiyero smiled back at her.

"I can't count on my fingers the number of times Fiyeraba's mother had tried to kill me," he said. "Most of them were back in college when I insisted on doing stupid things to get her attention. Like hiding her notebooks in Glinda's makeup bag. They smelled like powder for a week." Fiyero looked off into the forest, squinting at something.

"And I do believe the Witches are back to join us," he said. Grinnie turned- noticing how much easier it was to turn now that her knees could bend- and saw Fiyeraba and her mother, Elphaba, trekking through the forest. They were carrying two light-looking backpacks, with Fiyeraba holding the broom.

"We got Noquec's supplies," Fiyeraba announced, looking between the two packs. "Are you sure this is for three people?" Grinnie looked among the small family, noting the fact Fiyero was a scarecrow.

"Wait… three?" Fiyeraba looked up, smiling ruefully.

"You're not going to die, but you're a wanted criminal. My parents have lived on the run for a long time, and we have to join them. You and I do." Grinnie blinked innocently.

"Thank you very much for helping me escape," she began, "but you don't have to harbor another fugitive." Elphaba looked down, taking one hand to her mouth. Everybody else looked at her strangely.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just... Nessa said something like that right before I gave her the ability to walk, with the same spell we used for you."

"We can't leave her here!" Fiyeraba said.

"There's no reason she has to stay, and it would be safest if she went," Fiyero said.

"And you, Miss Elphie Thropp, had better have a good reason for everything you did and said back there!" Glinda announced, pushing her way through the forest. "Or I'm in my right mind to let you all get caught!"


	20. Decisions

**Disclaimer: Wicked not mine. I feel insanely regretful. I left you with a cliffhanger last time, didn't I? Stupid cliffhanger when you read this... so read it. Thanks. -LostOzian**

* * *

"Glinda, just listen, and don't call anyone!" Elphaba said fearfully. Glinda folded her arms, tapping one finger against her wand.

"I'm not calling anyone," she said. "I'm saying that if you don't explain everything to me right now, I probably _should_ call someone." Elphaba looked up at the treetops in exasperation.

"Say what you mean, Glinda," she groaned. Glinda took this as an invitation to ask all the questions that had been bubbling in her mind since Elphaba showed up and held a knife to her throat.

"What happened to you after the melting? How is Fiyero alive? Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you write, or _something_!" Fiyero shook his head, stepping forward.

"Glinda," Fiyero said. "It's me." Glinda just stared at him for a moment. Nobody dared speak, Elphaba, Fiyeraba, and Grinnie all giving each other glances. Suddenly, Glinda burst into tears, rushing toward Fiyero and taking him in a big hug. Fiyero stumbled back a few steps before returning the hug, causing Elphaba to tense visibly. He looked up at her, doing a little 'why me?' expression. Elphaba leaned against a tree and waited for her best friend to get the hugging out of her system.

After a very long time, and many placating looks from Fiyero, Glinda stopped her massive hug. Her eyes were red and her mascara beginning to run. Fiyero placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Glinda," he started softly. "I'm sorry I hurt you. But these past thirteen years, I've been by Elphaba's side. And nothing short of death could make me leave it." Elphaba smirked to herself, leaning down by Fiyeraba's ear.

"He's such a sappy romantic," she said just so Fiyero could hear her. "You have a sappy romantic for a father; you do know that, right?" Fiyeraba started giggling into her hand uncontrollably. Fiyero gave them a glance, but apparently Glinda didn't notice her friend speaking.

"You know," she said. "Since you left me, you've grown to be such a sappy romantic. You never said stuff like that to me."

Both Fiyeraba and Elphaba started laughing uncontrollably. Grinnie and Glinda gave them quizzical looks. Fiyero kicked at a few leaves, barely managing to make them stir, before turning to Grinnie.

"Did you think that was sappily romantic?" he asked. Grinnie nodded slightly in grudging admittance. Fiyero slumped his shoulders dramatically.

"I hate women," he muttered. The laughs started to end as Glinda realized she only had one question answered.

"Wait, what happened after the melting?" Glinda asked. Elphaba looked at Fiyero.

"Well, it was staged. I was standing on a trapdoor when the water was thrown. Screamed a lot, made my way down, and everybody who was there would say I melted. Fiyero met up with me after, and we started our new life on the run."

"About nine months later, believe it or not, Elphaba had Fiyeraba," Fiyero said. "And we couldn't keep her because we were afraid she wouldn't live." Fiyeraba looked up at Fiyero. She had always figured they had some big reason that they couldn't keep her, but all her life, but at least until about two days ago, she had never dreamed it would be because of something as basic as that. Elphaba took Fiyeraba's hand in her own, long green fingers entwining with her daughter's slightly shorter, flesh-toned ones.

"I still remember what we were going to call you," Elphaba glanced at Glinda, laughter in her eyes. "We were going to name you Galinda. Galinda Tiggular." Glinda shook her head, looking at the ground in disbelief. Fiyeraba considered this, being named Galinda.

"Personally," she said after a long time. "I like my name."

"I like it, too," Grinnie said. The others looked at her, having momentarily forgotten she was there. Fiyeraba stared at Grinnie sadly, taking her friends hands and making her pirouette.

"A few minutes ago, that would have made you fall over." Fiyeraba said. Grinnie nodded, looking at the ground. "It's not nice, but it's the only way. You've been labeled wicked."

Nobody said anything for a long time, all trying to find if there was some other way.

"Wait," Glinda said. "I've always loved a good popularification," Glinda said. Everybody turned on her, trying to figure out what in Oz she meant. Glinda gestured at Elphaba. "After the night at the OzDust, Elphaba became my friend. And just about everybody accepted her." Glinda crouched down next to Grinnie, looking up at her brown eyes.

"It would take some work, but Grinnie could become my friend, too," Glinda stood, placing one arm around Grinnie's shoulders. "And Boq won't be able to touch her."

"How would that work?" Elphaba said. "Everyone knows Grinnie was acting of her own accord."

"Elphie, I'm sorry to admit this," Glinda said. "But after Fiyero left with you, I was really angry. So angry I almost couldn't think straight. I toyed with the idea you had cast a spell on him." Elphaba raised her eyebrows, causing Glinda to back down a little bit. "I know, I know. It's been thirteen years and you've had a kid together. It's obvious you're truly in love. But we could pass that as an excuse for Grinnie," Glinda looked down at Grinnie.

"The Little Witch cast a spell on you so that you would help her, but the spell wore off as she came to save you. You escaped, but she realized she didn't control you anymore. So she left you to die in the forest." Glinda looked around for approval. Fiyero ran over the story in his head, searching for holes in the story. Fiyeraba was watching Grinnie, trying to see if she could pull it off. Grinnie had never truly lied before; she didn't know if she could do it. Elphaba stared at the ground sullenly, thinking about… something.

"Well?" Glinda said. "It could work."

"How do you explain Elphaba's sudden reappearance?" Fiyero asked, targeting the first hole he had found in Glinda's story. Glinda thought a moment.

"The Little Witch used a spell to cause the melted remains to solidify," Glinda said as if she was speaking at a press conference. "The two Witches started arguing, because… the Little Witch wanted to make an assassination attempt at me. And she was angry the Wicked Witch didn't kill me when she had a chance. The Little Witch killed her with the knife." Fiyeraba's eyes widened. Glinda was going to say she had killed her mother?

"We are dealing with _insane Wicked Witches_, you know," she said, twirling her finger by her ear in the gesture for crazy. Fiyero nodded understandingly, if not a bit grudgingly.

"After that, the Little Witch turned to Grinnie and demanded that she help kill me. Grinnie refused, seeing as the spell had worn off, and the Little Witch hung her on a tree branch to die, and left. That's when I saved her." There was another long pause. Glinda bent down slightly, looking at Grinnie.

"We can say that you don't remember anything from while you were under that spell." Glinda said. "The Palace, the poppies, getting caught, and the trial. All you remember is that they were going to hang you for treason and you didn't know why."

"Glinda," Elphaba said at last. "That is an insanely huge lie." Glinda sighed.

"I know," she said quietly. "But it's the only way Grinnie could come back to society. It might work for Fiyeraba, too, if we changed what we have so far-"

"No," Fiyeraba said, cutting the Good Witch off. "I don't care if we're in a palace or under a tree. I want to live with my parents from now on." Elphaba smiled, and Fiyeraba marveled in the fact that her parents were alive for the umpteenth time. No more wishes, no more dreams. They was real, and they wouldn't be gone any time soon. Either way, Fiyeraba had no intention of leaving them. Grinnie kept looking between Fiyeraba, Elphaba, and Fiyero over and over again.

"I'm not a part of that," she said simply. "They're a family. I'm not a part of that." She turned to Glinda.

"Oh, Lady Glinda," she said in mock awe. "Thank you so much for saving me from the Little Witch. I can't believe I ever thought…she was…she was my…" Grinnie started faltering, tears brimming at her eyes. Finally, she broke, running to Fiyeraba's arms.

"I'm sorry," Grinnie said. "I can't go with you. I'm going to have to tell lies about you…" Fiyeraba held Grinnie close, thinking this might be the last time she would see her friend.

"You get used to it," Glinda said solemnly, looking to Elphaba. Elphaba stood, holding her arms for Glinda to hug her.

"Now, Glinda, the promise still stands," Elphaba said. "Clearing any of our names means you lose your power to make good," Glinda hugged Elphaba, trying not to feel the pain of losing her best friend all over again. "And you've been making good. I'm proud of you." Fiyero positioned himself behind Glinda, giving Elphaba a look that clearly said, 'you hypocrite'. Elphaba just ignored him.

"You're really leaving this time, aren't you?" Glinda choked out. Elphaba nodded.

"We have means, motive, and opportunity," she said. The broom, the fact Elphaba showed herself, and the twilight sky. "And Grinnie is going to a good home." Glinda looked to the smaller of the two girls, thinking of how they, too, may never meet again.

"There are some blank pages in the back of the Grimmerie that are falling out. You can copy some emergency spells onto that. Fire, water, the ever-useful levitation spell," Glinda looked from Fiyero, to Elphaba, to their child, Fiyeraba. "And make sure you mark which spell you used for the shoes. I'm sure there'll come a time when Grinnie outgrows this pair." Grinnie smiled sadly, breaking her hug with Fiyeraba at last to stand by Lady Glinda. The Tiggulars joined together, forming a strange family portrait that neither Glinda nor Grinnie never wanted to forget.

"Miracles happen, Grinnie," Fiyeraba said, looking up at Elphaba and Fiyero. "I hope you enjoy yours."

"You too," Grinnie said, before turning away and tugging on Glinda's skirt.

"Let's get this over with," she said, as the two girls went their separate ways.


	21. Endings

**Disclaimer: This is the last chapter. This is not a typo, this is the last chapter. Don't scream, don't yell, don't tear out your hair, but that's what it is. I hope the ending's good enough, or at least not horrendibly disappointing. Apologies to those who started reviewing just in the last few chapters, but if I continued it would just become pathetic. Oh, and I don't own Wicked. -LostOzian**

* * *

Boq waited at the edge of the forest, his nervous energy building. He shouldn't have let Glinda go in alone. He knew full well what the Witch, _both_ Witches, was capable of; he should have gone in to help protect her. But on the other hand, Glinda had called Elphaba a Wicked Witch, so she wouldn't be holding back anymore. It was about time she saw reason, and started making rational decisions. 

"Help!" Boq heard someone shout from somewhere else. Boq scanned the forest line to see Glinda, carrying a small child. _She found that little convict!_ Boq thought happily as he ran to meet Glinda. The Good Witch looked a little scratched up, probably from having not used her bubble or something like that, but the girl, Grinella by birth, was almost frantic.

"Oh, Oz," she was whispering to herself in a breathy squeal. "She killed her, she killed her, oh, Oz save us all…" Boq looked down at the girl disdainfully, choosing to turn to Glinda instead.

"What happened? Where are the Witches?" Glinda, also lookinig shaken, sat down on a rock and continued to hold the little girl close.

"The Little Witch is truly insane," Glinda said lowly, rocking Grinnie back and forth gently. "She and the Wicked Witch got in a fight about killing me." Boq shook his head.

"I keep telling you," he said. "Elphaba is dead."

"I know she is," Glinda agreed. "And so is the Wicked Witch. The Little Witch killed her because she passed up the opportunity to assassinate me." Grinnie jumped from Glinda's arms, not giving Boq enough time to actually comprehend what Glinda said. As she pleaded, she tried to hold onto his slick metal body.

"Please, don't let the Little Witch get me! Don't let her get me!" Boq pulled her off, resisting the urge to just shove her aside.

"Why should we listen to you?" he spat at her, causing Grinnie to fall to the ground and cower. "What makes you think we should save you from what you swore allegiance to?" Grinnie just sat there, staring at the ground as she started crying.

"You're the Kind Tin Man," she said to his feet. "Defender of the weak, esteemed Governor of Munchkinland. You wouldn't leave me in harm's way... would you?"

"You overestimate me," Boq said maliciously. Grinnie hunched over even further, her sobs becoming more violent.

"Please!" she cried. "She's insane! The Little Witch would have killed me, too!" Boq looked up at Glinda.

"Care to explain, Your Goodness?" Boq pressed. Glinda looked down at Grinnie.

"After the Little Witch killed the Wicked Witch, her body turned back into mud. Turns out all the Little Witch did was un-meltify her."

"But you said the Little Witch was the Wicked Witch's daughter," Boq said. Glinda bit her lip, looking ashamed.

"I think she lied to me about that," Glinda said. "She just fancied herself as the Witch's daughter, so she told lies to make it so. She had the appearance and the powers; it was a believable story. Either way, we would have just killed the Wicked Witch if we caught her, so I didn't stop her, but the Little Witch turned on Grinnie. She was about to kill her when I interfered."

"Then where's the Little Witch?" Boq said shortly. Had Glinda been wrong in fighting magic with magic? He still thought the best way to fight anyone was with a solid weapon, preferably his ax.

"She fled as soon as she realized I was there," Glinda said. "Even with her power, she knew who the more experienced sorceress was." Boq thought over that for a second, before relenting and accepting it.

"After the Little Witch was gone, Grinella began begging for protection against the Little Witch. I questioned her briefly, and all she remembers is going to the palace and then finding herself in you office, alone and under guard." Glinda said. "It was a spell. The Little Witch controlled her, even through the trial."

Grinnie seemed not to have been paying attention, hugging her knees and hiding her face from Oz as if that would make the horrors go away. Boq looked down at her, wondering if the story was true.

"Grinnie, was it?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. She looked up at him fearfully. "Have you heard of anyone named Toj?"

Grinnie shook her head. Boq tried again, this time with something more serious.

"Or Fiyero?" Again, Grinnie shook her head. "What about Boq?" Grinnie continued to shake her head.

"Am I supposed to know who they are?" Grinnie said innocently. "Historical heroes? I'm not good at history." Boq looked from her to Glinda a few times, not fully trusting their story.

"Lady Glinda, I must insist on increased security at the palace. If the Little Witch was willing to kill her accomplices to pave the way for an assassination attempt, I wouldn't put it past her to keep trying." Glinda nodded, once again the refined Queen of Oz.

"I was thinking that myself," she said. "Security will intensify upon my return. Meanwhile, I intend to try and extract more information about the spell the Little Witch used." Boq raised tin eyebrows. "Which means Grinnie needs to come with me. I'll try to find solid proof for the court record; hopefully the unwilling victim won't hang."

"I'll withhold the charges to give you time, Your Goodness." Boq said, looking down at Grinnie. _A victim of the Little Witch, killed by those she turned to for protection. _Boq thought as Glinda summoned a large bubble for her and Grinnie. _Where's the heart in that?_

* * *

"That should be the last one," Elphaba said, the page of carefully copied spells sitting on Noquec's floor in front of her. Fiyeraba could easily identify the purpose of the spells; one for fire, one for water, one for healing various injuries, and the original flight spell. Elphaba had barely needed to look at the Grimmerie as she copied the levitation spell; it was probably the spell she knew best. Noquec looked over Elphaba's shoulder, trying in vain to make sense of the strange scribbles. 

"You don't need anything else?" she said. Elphaba folded the piece of paper carefully, sticking it inside her boot.

"Nothing copied," she said, flipping to a new page in the Grimmerie and pulling out a worn rectangle of lace. It wasn't very big, a foot by a foot and a bit. "Just one last spell…" She began chanting again, this time leaving Noquec and the other Tiggulars completely confused. She finished soon enough, and draped the lace over her face.

"Fae!" Fiyero looked at her with a mixture of shock and surprise. "You're not green!" She smiled beneath the lace, her face half-hidden by the see-through fabric.

"I think the Grimmerie called it a shroud," Elphaba said. "It'll hide the fact that I have green skin, but it won't work if I take it off or someone touches me." Fiyeraba touched her mother's still-green hand, and she saw through the shroud immediately, Elphaba's face returned to its usual few-shades-lighter-than-emerald. Giving Fiyeraba's hand a quick squeeze, she pulled off the shroud and placed it in her bag. She turned to Fiyero, looking him over sadly. "Though I'm not sure how to make one able to cover all of you." Fiyero shrugged, offering his arm to help Elphaba stand. It didn't help at all, but it was the thought that counted.

"We'll find a way," he said. "Maybe we'll find a society with other talking scarecrows or something." Elphaba smiled ruefully, looking to Fiyeraba.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Fiyeraba turned to Noquec and Dr. Dillamond, thinking of how she would have gone running off to her oblivion if they hadn't helped her stay put.

"Thanks," she said, hugging Noquec, and then the old doctor. Dr. Dillamond smiled at her, his deep brown eyes reassuring and strong.

"Good things come to those who wait," he said sagely. Fiyeraba nodded, glancing at Elphaba and Fiyero. She had a family for the first time in her life.

Breaking the hug, Fiyeraba picked up the broom, holding it out for her parents. Fiyero held up a hand, plucking Elphaba's hat from the pile of supplies and placing it on his daughter's head. It tipped forward slightly, covering her eyes mysteriously.

"Let's go," she said, smiling wickedly.


End file.
